3x20 Minute Success

AM: 5k shakeout
PM: 5k w/u + strides
Target: 3x20 mins. (10 mins. hard, 10 mins. @6:00 pace) w/4 mins. rest
Actual: 20 mins @5:53 pace (3k @10:58, 5k @18:20), 20 mins @5:54 pace (3k @11:00, 5k @18:23), 20 mins @5:53 pace (3k @11:00, 5k @18:22)
2k c/d
Garmin splits
Total: 15 miles
Daily total: 18 miles

There may be hope for me yet.

As a reference, I did this exact workout at the exact same time (three weeks out) in December '11 prior to the January '12 Trials. At the time, I would say I was objectively in 2:40-low shape, but ended up running just slightly off that at 2:41:06. I ran this particular workout quite well, and ended up splitting between 18:35-18:45 through each 5k. (See my recap (in astonishingly small font) here and Jordan's more detailed splits here.)

Today, as you can see above, I was consistently 15-20 seconds (a full 80-90 meters) faster through 5k on each interval, and with shorter rest. Granted, some of my "hard" sections weren't as fast as last time--in '11 I snuck a 3:32 in there, while today's quickest was 3:35--but I was able to consistently maintain a much faster clip on the marathon-paced second halves. I wouldn't exactly say the whole thing was a walk in the park--the third kilometer, which in theory is meant to be one of the fastest, is in reality almost entirely uphill--I ran strong throughout and there were sections where I truly felt like I was jogging.

Too little too late, or finally coming around at just the right time? We'll see in three weeks.

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RepliCAITing the Down Ladder (4-3-2-1)

3 mile w/u + strides
Target: Mimic Caitlin's workout of 4mi-3mi-2mi-1mi
4 mile @6-6:05 pace; 3 mile @5:55-6 pace; 2 mile @5:50-5:55 pace; 1 mile faster all w/4 min. jog rest
Actual: 24:01 (6:00 pace); 18:30 for 5k (5:57 pace); 11:00 for 3k (5:52 pace); 5:35 for 1 mile
2k c/d
Total: 16 miles

See what I did there in the title...I wanted to repliCAIT the workout...because her name is Caitlin...anyway.

So, basically this almost went off the rails before it even happened thanks to the hip situation that abruptly developed in between my workout and cooldown on Tuesday. The next two days were spent limping through "easy" runs and trying not to panic despite seeing an entire summer's worth of work flash before my eyes. On Wednesday morning I sent a text to my boss's girlfriend (and our good friend) Anne, who just happens to be a chiropractor, with the general sentiment of: "HELP!" She took one look at me and basically said my entire left side from the knee down was completely out of alignment. After two treatments from her magic hands, I was cautiously optimistic that I actually might not be throwing my hopes of marathon glory into the Beverly High School dumpster. I took Friday super easy, went to bed early, and crossed my fingers that everything would be operational for Saturday's workout.

After a few tentative steps on the warmup, it seemed as though my hip would cooperate. It was functioning at a steady discomfort level of 2 to 2.5, as compared to the 7.5 to 8 of the previous few days, and actually felt even better after a few long strides. However, my hip wouldn't be the only thing working against me. For some reason I've since forgotten, Jordan decided it would be a great idea to do this workout on the Marblehead Neck--one of my favorite places to run, but also one of the hilliest. Since it's surrounded on all sides by water, it also runs the risk of being quite windy, and unfortunately today was even worse than usual. It was going to take an incredibly focused effort and the help of my favorite queenmaker to execute this anywhere near my goal paces.

For the first kilometer, on the flat causeway with the wind at my back, I felt amazing. Then I hit the Neck's first hill and was jolted back to reality. Unlike Caitlin, who according to her blog post was just chit chatting away throughout her own version of this workout, I felt like I was struggling to hang on the entire time. And this is supposed to be marathon pace?! The 3-mile segment actually felt a little bit better--and apparently the last kilometer was going well enough that Jordan decided on the fly to extend to a full 5k, which isn't actually what someone wants to hear 17 minutes through what they think will only be an 18-minute interval--but unfortunately it put us at a bad spot geographically. "There's no way this isn't going to be hard," Jordan said just before the start of the 2-mile-turned-3k, and he was right. From where we were starting, all of our options would send us on a hilly path and finishing into a stiff headwind. The last two minutes headed back on the causeway were particularly brutal, but I also knew that the farther I went in one direction, the more time I could spend with the wind at my back when I turned around for the final one-mile interval. Despite the cumulative fatigue setting in, I was confident I could crush the mile thanks to a tailwind for the first half. It worked, and I felt pretty darn good for a few minutes, except for the fact that I hadn't been able to jog quite far enough in the opposite direction on my cooldown. In a cruel twist of fate, the final 30 seconds of the mile sent me straight up the steepest hill on the entire course. My dream of breaking 5:30 came to a near-standstill, but I was able to hold it together enough to close in a respectable 5:35.

Overall, I wish that hitting my goal paces had felt easier, but given the wind and undulating terrain I'm pleased with the effort. More importantly, my hip seems to be on the mend and a full-blown crisis has been averted. Whew!

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Witch City 5k

AM: 2 mile w/u
Target: win, don't get outkicked by old guy
Actual: 17:46, first female, second overall (to Jordan, not old guy)
Results
1 mile c/d
Total: 6 miles
PM: 5 miles easy
Daily total: 11 miles

The 11th of 12 installments of the YMCA North Shore Race Series took place right here in Salem, starting at the Willows and essentially traversing the Thursday night Wicked 5k course. As per usual, Jordan and I were planning to set up the Karhu tent and also hop in the race. However, this particular event was going to be special because Jordan's dad was in town visiting and would be running his first 5k ever! A few months ago he asked Jordan to structure a run/walk program for him, which he has been following diligently, and when I discovered that this race was taking place the same weekend of his visit, I suggested he sign up. The stars were aligned for his first attempt at the distance.

Setting up our tent near the water, it quickly became apparent that yesterday's calm air had given way to a biting 20mph wind. We would essentially be running the first two-thirds of the course with it directly into our faces, then (theoretically) get a nice little boost for the last mile. On my short warmup with Jordan, my legs felt like bricks. Ever since Thursday they've been heavy and stiff, and I had struggled to maintain 7:30 pace on what should've been an easy 15-miler on the Boston course with Stef the day before. As Jordan took off on a few pickups during our warmup jog, I could only chuckle. At that moment, I honestly felt like running faster than 8-minute pace would be impossible.

We returned to our tent to peel down to our racing costumes and had to laugh as Jordan's dad walked up. Having just arrived from 90-degree Palm Springs 12 hours prior, he was bundled up in not one, but two long-sleeve cotton race shirts plus two other long sleeve tops. Ever the vigilant Craft rep (and embarrassed son), Jordan quickly dug through the inventory in his car and produced a Be Active Extreme baselayer. Gary was sternly advised that he could pick one other piece to put on top of it, not a race shirt (first sign of a noob!), and he was sent toward the starting line much lighter and leaner than he'd originally planned. As we all queued up, it seemed as though Jordan's victory would be all but guaranteed. There were a few younger guys up front who also seemed fit, as well as some familiar faces from previous YMCA races, but I was relieved to realize that I probably wouldn't have to go to the well.

We took off at what felt like a sprint, likely due to a combination of the cold wind, my slight wine hangover and, well, the fact that my legs already felt like crap. Within the first 400 meters it was obvious that Jordan was going to sail away unchallenged, and I found myself eyeing the two younger guys who had started out a few steps ahead. Suddenly, out of nowhere, an older gentleman whom I've seen at other YMCA races popped to the front of the group and easily put a few strides on us. We split the mile in 5:40--not fast, but a near miracle given my dead legs--and I summarily dropped the two younger guys, but my gray-haired nemesis continued to push the pace. For the next 10 minutes I kept expecting him to pull away from me, but instead he seemed content to maintain a five meter gap. With 400 meters to go, I pulled up alongside and then found another gear to put some distance between us. It's embarrassing how relieved I was, but I knew Jordan would never let me live it down if things ended differently.

As soon as I crossed the line, Jordan and I began jogging the course in reverse to find Gary. We spotted him just past the two-mile marker, looking fresh and strong (and not the least bit cold!) while maintaining his run/walk intervals. We trotted along next to him for the final mile until I darted across to the finish to snap this great father-son shot. It was fun for Jordan and I to finish 1-2 overall, but I'm way more proud of Gary for embracing the challenge of his first 5k and then absolutely hitting it out of the park. It's never too late to become a runner!

 

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Sunday Redemption: It's Not Just For Church

Saturday, 10/5
AM: 3 mile w/u
Target: 10k @MP (37:30, 6 min/mile); 5 mins. jog; 5k @HMP (18:15, 5:50/mile)
Actual: 5k @~6 min. pace
2 mile c/d
Total: 8 miles
PM: 5 miles
Daily total: 13 miles

Sunday, 10/6
2.5 mile w/u
Target: Above + 1k @faster
Actual: 10k @37:25; 5k @18:15; 1k @3:23
1.5 mile c/d
Total: ~14 miles

Saturday morning, I laced 'em up and headed out to do this workout by myself.

And failed miserably.

I'm not really sure what it was; a confluence of factors, probably. One, I was absent my stalwart queenmaker, who was busy at a work event. Secondly, I don't wear a Garmin. Logistically this wasn't really an issue as I know all the distance markers on the 5k loop that we typically use for this type of effort, but mentally it proved quite challenging. I found myself constantly unsure of how fast (or slow) I was running and thus constantly feeling like I needed to push harder, which simultaneously led to this feeling way too hard to be marathon pace, which turned into a vicious cycle of discouragement and self-doubt. When I passed through 5k feeling less than stellar, I simply stopped.

But, the important part is that I wanted to try again. (So long as it was with someone who could drag me along and do all the hard work while I tucked in and tried to relax.) The next afternoon, I did just that. Initially, I was angry with myself for delaying the effort--the weather had deteriorated significantly since the previous day, and by Sunday afternoon it was cold and drizzly and windy and just generally inclement--but Jordan remained confident we could get it done. So confident, in fact, that he promised a "bonus" fast kilometer at the end designed to really kick things up a notch when I was feeling tired.

I would be lying if I said it magically felt easy with Jordan at the helm. It didn't, and the 10k segment still wasn't quite at an effort level I'm currently capable of maintaining for another 20 miles. When I was just about 100% convinced that I couldn't run any faster after the 5k effort, Jordan urged me to give it one final push for a fast 1k. Somehow I managed to finish the workout feeling strong, and exceedingly pleased that I hadn't managed to completely screw everything up the day before. I still have a long way to go, but workouts like this are critical stepping stones in the right direction.

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Tempo Tuesday

AM: 5k w/u + strides
Target: 5k road @18:00, jog to track, 4-5x400m @75 w/2 mins. rest
Actual: 18:00, 75, 75, 75, 74
2k c/d
Total: 9 miles
PM: 5 miles easy
Total: 14 miles

Monday night, Jordan and I hatched a somewhat elaborate plan for this workout that involved driving to Beverly, parking at Dane Beach, running the road tempo in (what we thought would be) a quiet section of neighborhoods close to the high school and then finishing up with some shape-cutting on the high school track. Incidentally, this plan would also involve us driving straight to work afterward, which had the unintended result of me not showering or changing clothes for the entire day. Oops.

The only part of our plan we hadn't really considered was the weather. Sure, we knew it was cool when we went to bed the night before, but both of us were surprised to walk downstairs in our warmups and find ourselves smacked in the face by fall. Unfortunately we were both too lazy to go back upstairs but fortunately I had some gloves in my purse, so at least one of us was able to adapt to the 40-degree temperature.

Okay, I lied; there was a second part of our plan we hadn't completely nailed down: the 5k course. We had a loose idea of where we wanted to go based on runs and races we've done in the area, but none of those had hinged on having us finish at the track. Because of this, my trusty queenmaker decided to wing it and make up the route on the fly. This worked out about as well as could be hoped save for the fact that there were way too many sharp turns--at least a dozen--in the 18-minute run. I found myself moving fastest and most comfortably on the rare long, straight sections and struggling to catch up every time he darted this way or that at an intersection. Still, I executed the tempo down to the second and felt like I had plenty left in my legs for the 400s...

...until I actually started running them. Perhaps due to the much-needed deep tissue massage I'd gotten a mere 12 hours prior--not ideal timing, but sometimes you have to work with the options you've got--or maybe the cooler weather, or maybe the fact that I'm just not all that fit, my legs felt sluggish and tired each time I tried to pick up the pace around the 200-meter mark. In fact, I felt much better a few weeks ago when I was closing at the same pace after 12 repeats on a triple run day. Whatever the reason, I was happy to call it a day at four reps. Workouts like this can be difficult for me because they require switching pace and focus, but with the help of my trusty queenmaker I was able to squeak a few more coins into the fitness bank.

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Beverly Yankee Homecoming 5k Race Recap

AM: 4 mile shuffle
Lunch: 10 minute shuffle
PM: 1.5 mile w/u
Target: Win, 17:30ish?
Actual: 2nd place, 17:24
Results; Salem News article
1.5 mile c/d
Daily total: 11 miles

Last year at this race, I totally surprised myself by emerging from the depths of high-mileage summer training and finishing in a course record time of 17:06. This time around I knew there would be no similar outcome, with my woeful lack of fitness being the lesser of my worries. On Wednesday morning I'd been pleasantly surprised by how decent my legs felt after the 10-miler the night before. Maybe this whole two-races-in-48-hours thing wouldn't be so bad after all! But that optimism came crashing down on Thursday, when DOMS set in full force on my morning run. Actually, "run" is too strong a word for what I was doing out there. I felt horrible. So bad, in fact, that I went out again at lunch for another 10-minute shuffle with the desperate hope of shaking out a few more meager drops of lactic acid from my lifeless legs. It was entirely possible that I wouldn't be able to break 18 minutes, much less defend my title, at this rate. I was fervently hoping no one else would show up.

Race time came quickly, as Jordan and I spent the better part of the afternoon preparing for the event (which we sponsor this year) and setting up the Karhu Airstream trailer near the finish line. The race would double as a company BBQ, with many of our coworkers and their families participating and spectating before sitting down to a picnic table dinner. As silly as it sounds to say I wanted to win the race because it was the company cookout, well, I wanted to win the race because it was the company cookout. My hopes were still delicately intact until I spotted Larissa Park on my warmup jog. I don't know her--she lives in Somerville and doesn't run with the BAA--but I was well aware of her speedy reputation and saw her break 35 minutes for 10k at one of the New Balance Twilight meets a few months back. Technically speaking, I was screwed. As we trotted toward the start, I sidled over to Jordan and asked what I should do. His advice: "Let her take it out hard if she wants but stay close behind, run relaxed up the hill in mile two, then close the gap in mile three." So simple! It had to work!

Believe it or not, I followed his directions to the letter. I followed her out comfortably hard, trying not to panic when she opened an immediate gap or when I split the mile in 5:26 (my first "fast" mile in...months?). I was easily 20 meters back but felt totally in control, seemingly gaining a few steps on her during the rolling second mile. I knew I could make up more ground during the third mile, but would it be enough? "It doesn't matter whether you can actually beat her," said a Yoda-like voice in my head out of nowhere. "It only matters that you believe you can."  So I continued to believe my little heart out, willing my wearied legs to follow suit. It was a valiant effort, but it wasn't enough, and in the end she bested me by a full 10 seconds. I finished nearly 20 seconds slower than last year, firmly in second place, but given how depleted I felt this morning it was probably as good as I could've hoped for. And my lackluster performance aside, it was well worthwhile to see so many of our coworkers and their family members competing--a few finishing their first ever 5k!--and hanging out to enjoy a beautiful night by the ocean. In spite of all evidence to the contrary, I'd call my second race in 48 hours a resounding success.

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3x5k With 24-Hour Recovery

Wednesday, May 15
AM: 8k easy + strides
PM: 5k of 1 min. on/1 min. off
Target: 3 miles in ~20 minutes
Actual: 19 mins. on/off, 5k in 18:30
Daily total: 12 miles

Thursday, May 16
AM: 11k easy
PM: No Rest For the Wicked "5k" in 17:45 (=17:55-18:00 for true 5k)
Daily total: 21k/13 miles

Saturday, May 18
AM: Journey For Sight 5k
Target: Win
Actual: 17:45, 1st place female (3rd overall), $100
PM: ~4mile w/u and c/d with Sarah at the NBB Twilight Meet (more on this later)
Daily total: 12-13 miles

Okay, so technically the rest between 5k #2 and 5k #3 was more like 36 hours, but that doesn't make for as catchy of a blog title. The point is, after doing nothing but shuffling/hobbling around for nearly three weeks, I decided it was time to put on my big girl pants and attempt a few workouts. I considered several options but ultimately settled on minuters, which essentially is as challenging as you make it, and set the ambitious goal of covering three miles in 20 minutes. After warming up with Jordan and our coworker Scott, I embarked on the same loop as the NRFTW Thursday night 5k (which, at the time, I didn't necessarily plan on running the following evening) and settled into a nice rhythm. Much to my pleasant surprise, I'd discovered on the morning strides that my lower leg/shin actually feels much better and looser when running hard than when running easy, a reality that was reinforced tonight. By the second half of this loop I was really rolling, and I was excited to pass through the "finish line" of the Thursday night run right around 18:20. I continued that hard minute and finished gasping for air but quite pleased with the end result.

Cut to 24 hours later, and Jordan and Scott and I were jogging over to the Common to join the Thursday night running group. It was the warmest day of the year thus far, easily in the upper 70s, but with a dry, 20+ mph wind that would push us through the first half of the run and smack us in the face during the second half. I actually planned on just jogging, and through the first minute or two was content to tuck into the group, but then for one reason or another I changed my mind and my gears and took off after the two guys in the lead. Jordan had also planned to run easy and was behind me at this point, but naturally he couldn't stand for me to be ahead and finally overtook me about a mile in. Understandably, this effort felt harder than last night given my tired legs and the ferocious headwind, but I still expected to finish around 17:30 or so. I ended up only 15 seconds off that target but still a bit frustrated. Just as I was excited about last night's effort, I was perplexed in equal measure tonight. How was it possible for me to run hard for more or less the entire loop, as opposed to taking a break every other minute, and yet somehow only finish 30 seconds faster?!

The third 5k in this series took place Saturday morning in the nearby town of Reading. I found this race online Friday evening as I was tucked into my second glass of vino and saw that they offered $100 for the winner--not normally enough to entice me considering the $30 entry fee offset, but Reading is only 15-20 minutes away and I thought it would be a good motivator to continue my streak of hard running. With Jordan otherwise engaged, I drove over to the Reading ice hockey arena by myself and warmed up solo before stepping up to the front of the starting line with the relatively small crowd. For a few glorious seconds I harbored the idea of winning the race outright, but after spotting a speedy-looking younger guy in a team singlet I acknowledged that dream would probably not come true. (I'm pretty sure this is how Allen Strickland feels at the start of every race--except, ironically, today!) From the gun (more like a barely audible "onyourmarkgetsetgo" from one of the race organizers), I could tell almost immediately that my legs were flat and tired. And why wouldn't they be? Nothing hard for almost three weeks and then this three-pronged assault?! A short, steep hill less than 600 meters into the race effectively zapped my energy, and with only two guys ahead of me and no women close behind I had little incentive to pick up the pace beyond tempo effort. My finish time was lackluster but I was pleased to find my leg holding up after three hard workouts in almost as many days. As I tweeted afterwards, even if you're out of shape, even if it's a small local race...it's still really, really fun to beat (almost) all the boys! Even better, less than an hour later I was back in the car and on my way with a crisp hundo in hand. Not a bad start to the weekend!

So, taking this 5k trifecta as a whole, I'm actually somewhat encouraged. I've got five weeks to run these 5k times consecutively without the 24-hour break, and if I can just keep my body in one piece I know it's possible. I'm encouraged by the apparently minimal fitness loss I've sustained since Italy, so now it's time to keep the momentum going!

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The Running Event: Indie 5k

2-3 mile w/u + strides
Target: win
Actual: 5th place, 17:05
Results
3-4 mile c/d
Total: ~10 miles

If you've never been to The Running Event, it really is difficult to describe. I've heard it labeled the four most important days of the year in the running industry, which is debatable. One thing is certain, however; there's really no other event within the span of a year that brings together everyone involved in the business of running, from local independent retailers and their employees to brand reps to media outlets to elite runners. Hell, even LetsRun.com's Wejo made the trip down to Austin for a few days. Regardless of your purpose or perspective, most attendees view TRE as the confluence of a lot of work, a little bit of running, even less sleep, and drinking. Lots of drinking. All of this makes it all the more remarkable that the Indie 5k, a quiet, non-prize money race open only to TRE participants and held at the crack of dawn on a super hilly course on a weekday morning, is arguably one of the most competitive per capita races in the country.

Last year, no one was as surprised as me to see myself crowned the "Fastest Vendor in America" with a relatively pedestrian 17:22 winning time. This year, despite marathon fatigue still lingering in my legs, I hoped to repeat my title. Having done practically nothing faster than a jog since my 5k cross-country outing the day after Thanksgiving, I wasn't super optimistic. My already tepid confidence waned even further as I spotted at least a handful of other legit-looking women on the starting line. Not wanting to endure his own soul-crushing defeat at the hands of Bobby Mack, Mike Morgan, Andrew Leatherby and who knows how many other ridiculously fit guys (some companies actually fly in their ringers for the sole purpose of earning bragging rights at the race), Jordan gamely offered to drag me along. I had no idea if it would help from a physical perspective, but I was hardly in a position to say no.

To be honest, I could share a minute-by-minute recap of the race, but I'd rather not. Not because it's particularly embarrassing, but merely because there's nothing exciting about detailing the myriad ways that every passing minute felt harder and crappier than the previous one. Simply put, I'm tired. And, despite my refusal to admit it, sick. I knew that going in, and I still pushed as hard as I could, but there was really nothing more for me to give.

The irony, of course, is that I ran over 15 seconds faster than last year, essentially tying my 5k road PR in the process, and yet still finished in an underwhelming 5th place. (The results above are split into three categories; manufacturers (i.e., brands like Karhu), retailers (running store employees), and owners (store and manufacturer owners). Technically I could've still retained my title of "fastest retailer in America" had I won the manufacturer category and still lost overall, but as it happens the top 1-5 women all hailed from the same category. Awesome.)

Going into this race, my only goal was to win. Afterward, however, I was more bummed that I'd once again come so close to dipping below 17 minutes on the road and yet still fallen short. I immediately asked Jordan if I could hop into a faster, flatter road race back home in Boston before the end of the year, a notion he instantly shot down. My season, says the coach, is over.

I'm not going to lie; I pouted for a few unattractive seconds. Then we jogged back to the hotel with men's winner and fellow North Carolinian Bobby Mack, and then I spread the gospel of Karhu and Craft all day, and then I cultivated a raging hangover for the following morning courtesy of the Brooks party and all the free booze on the expo floor. And maybe this was just the cheap white wine talking, but by the end of the day the Indie 5k was already a distant memory.

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Fifth Annual Gabe's Run 5k XC Challenge

5k w/u
Target: Win, break course record (sub-18:40)
Actual: 18:25, 1st place and new CR
Results
2 mile c/d
Total: 8 miles

I know what you're thinking: "Umm...didn't you just run a marathon four days ago?!" Well technically yes, but in my defense this race has been on the calendar for quite some time, and for good reason. 

Pre-race photo opp with my coworker Scott, his fiancee Jen and his brother

I didn't know much--nothing, really--about Gabe's Run until a few months ago, when my boss Eric mentioned it. The race takes place just a few miles from his house in Hamilton, which is the next town over from where we work in Beverly, which is just north of our home in Salem. Gabe's Run takes place in memory of a Hamilton High graduate who was bound to run at Dartmouth when he was tragically killed in a car accident the summer after his senior year. Now in its fifth year, Gabe's Run has swelled to almost 800 participants and benefits a student-athlete scholarship fund in Gabe's honor. As far as race beneficiaries go, I can't think of a better one to support. So for the past month or so, Eric and I have been recruiting other Karhu and Craft employees to participate--largely by promising brunch at Eric's house afterward--and even Eric's 7-year-old daughter Ella was eager to tackle her second ever 5k endeavor. I held off on signing up until after the marathon just in case any part of my body imploded in a serious way, but after three days off and a tentative tester jog on Thursday I was confident I could at least shuffle around the course in one piece.

Admittedly, Jordan had initially been against the idea of me racing. But as we began slowly tracing the course on our warmup jog, something seemed to change. Having not really participated in cross-country since high school--Club Nats two years ago at McAlpine's glorified dirt road hardly counts--I really had no grasp of effective racing strategy. Jordan offered several pointers and helpfully suggested that I better "beat all the high school girls if I wanted a ride home." In fact, his last words to me before sending me off to the starting line--the men's and women's races were run separately--were, "The course record is 18:40." So much for no pressure.

Of course, 18:40 isn't exactly fast--but then, neither is the terrain. Deemed a "true" cross-country course by Jordan, most of the route traverses uneven, grassy fields and rocky dirt paths. The real gauntlet comes at 4k, when runners are forced to claw their way to the top of Scilly's Hill. I'm always wary of topographical features that necessitate their own nomenclature, and this one was no exception. A steep, rocky, rooty ascent that goes on much too far--for reference, it's steeper than the McAlpine hill and about three times as long--Scilly's Hill was designed to break people. Possibly me. Still, Jordan and I had talked strategy and I felt good about keeping my composure and, in theory, the lead past that point.

That is, until I stepped up to the starting line and spotted a familiar looking figure in a Dartmouth uniform.

"F@#k me, that's Abbey D'Agostino," I thought to myself (and hopefully didn't say out loud, but I can't be entirely certain.)

If you don't know who Abbey D'Agostino is, a quick search of the 'ol interwebs should tell you that she is the reigning NCAA 5k national champion, came within hundredths of a second of taking a free trip to London last summer, and as recently as last weekend placed second at the NCAA D1 cross-country championships. In other words, it didn't matter whether I ran a marathon yesterday or last year; there was no conceivable scenario in which my legs would be fresh enough (never mind fit enough) to challenge her. It was looking as though the exercise of running the race was a mere formality.

I stepped up to the far edge of the starting line, hoping I would have a straight shot across the field when the course narrowed. The announcer was rambling on about this and that, seemingly building up to an elaborate countdown to the start. "And now we have the women lined up, a great field, let's get them in place and--"

BANG!

The gun fired literally in the middle of his sentence, and chaos reigned. Half the field surged forward, while the rest of us stood, perplexed, assuming it was a misfire and that we would be called back. After about five seconds it became apparent that the latter would not be the case, so I gamely took off after the stampeding crowd. Within the first two minutes it was obvious that Abbey was just jogging--or possibly pacing a friend/Dartmouth teammate--as I was nearing the front and she was nowhere to be seen. The course narrowed as we passed a baseball diamond, then widened again as we burst into the open field, and at that point I had already assumed the lead.

The morning was absolutely gorgeous, brilliant, the sky a deep cerulean and without a cloud. For late November in New England it was best case scenario, and without a drop of rain in the previous week the ground felt firm and responsive. So too, did my legs, and I passed the first mile in 5:43 feeling relaxed and totally comfortable. If the marathon had induced any lingering fatigue I wasn't feeling it yet.

The second mile was the quickest, and the most fun, as I passed near the start line again and was greeted by a phalanx of spectators. There were several hundred people spurring me on, a feeling which I hadn't realized I missed from cross-country days long past. Passing two miles in 11:19, I'd probably opened up a 200-meter lead--enough to ease any worry about being passed on the crawl up Scilly's Hill, but that didn't mean I wasn't dreading it. Sure enough, my ascent was anything but graceful, and I'm not exaggerating in the least when I say I could've walked faster--practically was anyway--at several points. By the time I reached the top my quads were pulsing with a fire that even 26.2 miles hadn't managed to spark, and for the first time since the race began I was counting down the minutes until I could simply stop. A furtive glance at my watch confirmed I would break the course record, but it was astonishing how much time the hill had eaten away. I crossed the line in 18:25, eclipsing the previous course best by 20 seconds, while Abbey and her teammate finished 2-3 in 19:43. I might just frame the race results, as it is certainly the only time my name will ever be listed ahead of hers.

Starting line of the men's race

The guys were up next, and I'm sure Jordan will appreciate me glossing over the finer details. Suffice it to say he went in expecting to get his doors blown off by scores of high schoolers and returning collegians, and he was not proven wrong. I'll let him share the gory details when he updates his blog approximately seven months from now.

Jordan kicking hard for 25th place

It was during the time I was spectating that a diminutive brunette woman approached me. "Didn't you win the women's race?" she asked. I barely had a chance to respond in the affirmative before she was enveloping me in a hug. "I'm Gabe's mom," she continued. "Thank you so much for coming."

I was speechless. How could I respond? I mumbled something wholly inadequate, and then she was gone. But that brief exchange was enough to affirm why I was there, and why I will return next year, and how this often insignificant sport of ours can actually mean so much more than just numbers on the clock. I won't pretend I came to the race solely for altruistic reasons, but I'm honored to have been a small part of the legacy that Gabe has left behind.  

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Outpacing the Nor'easter

2.5 mile w/u
Target: 2x5k @MP (~18:45) w/full rest; 5x30 secs. hard
Actual: 18:30, 4 min. jog, 18:20; 5x30 secs. hard
0.5 mile c/d
Total: ~10 miles

I should've done this yesterday. Less than 24 hours ago it was ideal workout weather; cold, but not frigid, with virtually no wind. Instead, still recovering from a hard 20 on Sunday, I opted to wait until this morning and was punished by a biting, blustery 20+ mph direct headwind for the first half of each interval. Fortunately I was able to tuck in behind Jordan and fortunately he's tipping the scales a few pounds overweight right now, but even despite his ample girth the gusts forced us to slow to what seemed like a crawl. (Mercifully we'll never know, since Jordan forgot to charge his Garmin, so other than the overall time we only had estimates for splits.)

There's not much else to add as this session was pretty unremarkable, but it is noteworthy to compare to an almost identical workout I did 10 days out from the Trials in January. Today was faster with commensurate effort, as it should be. If I don't run a PR at Philly it won't be for lack of fitness.

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3x5k Success

2.5 mile w/u
Target: 3x5k @18:15, 18:00, 17:45 w/3 mins. rest
Actual: 18:08, 17:56, 17:39 (slowest 1k @3:44; fastest @3:27)
1 mile c/d
Total: 13 miles

No time to blog, but I want to note a few points before it slips my mind.

Going into this workout, my legs were particularly tired and sore, no doubt residual effects from Sunday's hard 10-mile race effort. Usually if my legs are sore after a race or hard workout it always feels most pronounced in my calves, rock-like. To my surprise, this time my calves feel totally normal but my quads are absolutely trashed. As I slowly trotted my warmup, I reminded myself that this was precisely one of the tenets I'd planned to focus on during this marathon training segment: running hard and fast while tired. No small task today, but I gritted my teeth and pushed through. From the outset, even during the "slow" first segment, this was work. In particular, the second and third kilometer of each 5k segment (done on the 5k course from the Thursday night Wicked group run) were quite a grind; the second a long, gradual uphill straight into the wind, and the third with several sharp turns and another short but steep uphill section. The lingering fatigue in my legs manifested itself swiftly and acutely in the second half of this workout, but I managed to push through. By far this was the fastest workout of its kind I've ever done--I'd have to look back, but I think I've even done 3x3 mile repeats slower than this--and definitely a huge confidence booster at this stage in my training.

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No Rest For the Wicked 5k: At Least I'm Consistent

AM: 8 miles easy
PM: 2.5 mile w/u
Target: 5k tempo
Actual: 4.99k in 17:16
1/2 mile c/d
Daily total: 14 miles

The last time I ran this 5k fun run almost a month ago, I finished in 17:17. The week before that, 17:20. So I suppose I shouldn't be entirely surprised that tonight I finished within a few seconds of both of those efforts. I've got consistency going for me, which is nice.

Unlike those other two instances, however, this one was special due to a particularly high concentration of Karhu and Craft participants. In honor of our new hire, Stacy, being in town for training, Jordan and I also convinced several other of our coworkers to attend. (Potentially this was accomplished by luring them with the prospect of beer and food afterward.) It was definitely cool to jog up to the triangle after our warmup and see Stacy, Scott, Chris and Jenn in addition to the increasingly familiar faces of the regular Thursday night contingent.

To be honest, as for the run itself I felt pretty beat. I've been especially tired this week--I'm assuming it's not good when your first thought upon waking every morning is the mental calculation of how many more hours until you can return to the inviting folds of your comforter--which I'm guessing is due to residual fatigue from last week's trip. (Which trip, you ask? The one I promised to regale you with in great detail in my most recent Week in Review? What can I say...I'm even too tired to blog.) I had an amazing time soaking in the beautiful Pacific Northwest summer weather and running in some great locations--Forest Park in Portland, Greenlake in Seattle and the exquisite Stanley Park in Vancouver, to name a few--but I honestly think my body is still recovering from the combination of hours upon hours of driving, Friday night's restless redeye flight and the time zone difference. Oh yeah, and running 100+ miles somewhere in between. At any rate, despite my best attempts at recovery I just haven't felt superb on a single run this week, and tonight's tempo was no exception. I let Jordan drag me around and managed to hang on with mounting dismay as the screws gradually tightened from a lackadaisical opening kilometer to a seemingly all-out final one. The only time I've been more relieved to finish this run was the week when my lunch found itself barreling through my digestive tract like a high-speed bullet train with an indecorous one-way ticket. At least on that night I had something to distract me from the discomfort of the actual workout. Given how I felt tonight, I was actually pleasantly surprised to see the final time flashing on my watch at the finish. And with the rest of the Karhu crew following closely behind, there was little time to dwell on how terrible I felt. No rest for the wicked...especially when it's dinnertime!

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Beverly Yankee Homecoming 5k

AM: 45 mins. easy (6 miles)
PM: 2.5 mile w/u
Target: 5k race @17:10-17:20
Actual: 17:06
Results

I don't have time to write about the race now, so hopefully this article from the Salem News will suffice: I will say I wish they'd posted my chip time, as in that case I would've actually tied my road PR set two years ago at Greek Fest. Why is this important? Simply because it strengthens my running resume to be able to list a PR more current than 2010. Of course, the easiest solution is just to hurry up and run sub-17, a goal that still eludes me. All that aside, given this week's ambitious frontloading--60 miles on my legs as I toed the line tonight--and the dog day summer weather that finally made its presence known in New England, I'm pleased with tonight's effort. Special shout-out to the other half of Team KinLo for his successful return to the road race scene! 


 

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No Rest For the Wicked: Outkicked

AM: 60 mins. easy (8 miles)
PM: 1.5 mile w/u
Target: 5k@ goal MP (18:30-18:45)
Actual: 4.99k @17:17
1/2 mile c/d
Daily total: 13 miles

I was really planning on running marathon pace tonight, pinkie swear. Jordan didn't attend and I didn't think anyone else would be there to drag me along--but, alas, I was wrong. A new (to me) runner named Mike was among the crowd that met in the Salem Common for tonight's run, and just before takeoff a few of the other guys mentioned that he was pretty quick. This was confirmed when he shot to the front of the pack less than 100 meters into the race. "How fast are you running tonight?" he asked good-naturedly as he glided by me. I sighed internally, acknowledging that keeping pace with him would involve tossing self-restraint out the window for the second week in a row. "As fast as you make me," I replied.

I never feel great on the first mile of this run due to the slight uphill grade, but tonight that was especially true thanks to the oppressive humidity pervading my every breath. The sky was on the cusp of a thunderstorm but wouldn't quite break, and as a result I felt for a minute that I was transported back to a swampy North Carolina summer evening. Yuck. Apparently Mike felt no such hindrance, and by the approximate area of the imaginary one-mile marker he'd put at least 10 meters on me. At halfway that distance had doubled, and I found myself struggling to stay motivated. If my breathing was shot and he was outdistancing me by a comfortable margin, what was the point of pushing? Why not just settle in and cruise to the finish? Instead, I urged myself to refocus. As silly at it sounds, I think even "races" like this one--as relaxed and insignificant as it is--can serve as a great opportunity to practice strategy and, more importantly, mental tenacity. I locked my gaze on Mike's back, and with each stride I could feel him coming back to me ever so slightly. With only a few minutes to go I'd cut the lead to less than 10 meters and was pretty sure that Mike was none the wiser. If I timed my kick just right, I might be able to sneak past him. That is, if he couldn't hear me huffing and puffing like a 60-year-old chain smoker, a conditional that was becoming less and less likely the harder I pushed. Sure enough, just as we rounded the final turn and began descending the 30-meter downhill section to the finish, he stole a glance over his shoulder and saw me approaching. In one seemingly effortless motion he found another gear and charged away, finishing at least a full decisive second in front of me. To my pleasant surprise, despite the weather I'd actually managed to chip a few seconds off last week's time--but then again, I didn't have last week's, um, adversarial digestive conditions to slow me down, so it basically all evens out. I'll take it.


Unfortunately, it looks like after tonight I'll be taking a few weeks' hiatus from No Rest For the Wicked. Next Thursday I'm actually racing a local 5k in Beverly near our office, and then the following week I'll be traveling for work. Perhaps when I return I'll be ready to give Mike a proper challenge.

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No Rest For the Wicked, Round 2

AM: 70 mins. easy (9+ miles)
PM: 2.5 mile w/u
Target: 5k tempo @goal MP (18:30-18:45)
Actual: 4.99k @17:20
1/2 mile c/d
Daily total: 15 miles

A few weeks after my first appearance at the No Rest For the Wicked Weekly 5k, I was excited to return with Jordan in tow. As I decided after that initial outing, my goal for the workout tonight and going forward was/is to run at or slightly faster than my goal marathon pace, or somewhere in the 5:55-6:00 range. It's never too early to start getting comfortable at a clip I'm allegedly going to maintain for 26 miles.

For some reason, however, Jordan failed to get this pacing memo (or simply didn't care), because less than five minutes into the run I could tell (or at least hoped!) we were running quite a bit ahead of schedule. My legs felt fine, but my breathing was already noticeably quicker than the previous time when I'd been able to engage in some light banter with the  lead guys. This time, Jordan and I were well off the front but trailed closely by a bespectacled young gentleman whose name I would later learn was Billy. With no reliable distance markers (I glanced at my watch when passing a prominently spray-painted "1 mile" scrawl to see 5:05, which was clearly wrong), I had nothing to rely on but effort and Jordan's lead. But so far, despite the quick pace, all was going well. 

About halfway through the run, however, I became suddenly aware of what can delicately be referred to as alarming gastrointestinal discomfort. For the remainder of the run, as the minutes ticked agonizingly by, this situation became increasingly dire. Perversely, this could be described in some ways as beneficial, as I was so laser focused on keeping my dignity intact that any fatiguing of my legs or lungs barely registered. I suspected I was slowing considerably--a reality compounded by the fact that we had to come to a screeching halt at one busy intersection, costing us at least five seconds with the clock still running--but that was quite honestly the least of my concerns. Imagine my surprise, then, when I saw the decidedly not-slow numbers flashing on my watch as I crossed the imaginary finish line. (And, for the record, I was able to hold things together without resorting to an Allen Strickland-like x-rated maneuver--which, I must add in fairness to Allen, is not to say that I haven't done so before.)

I'm not going to lie; I'm pretty pumped about the implications of this run. Namely, that despite not doing a real "workout" for almost two months, I'm actually in pretty decent shape. Jordan's Garmin measured the course a hair short, 3.09 miles as opposed to a true 3.1, but that was largely offset by the aforementioned unplanned intersection stop. To run ~15 seconds off my road PR at a summer fun run in the middle of another 100-mile week indicates that my Summer of Malmo training regimen is working splendidly. For now, time to keep on keepin' on!

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No Rest For the Wicked

AM: 8 miles
PM: 2 mile w/u + strides
Target: 5k uptempo
Actual: 5k in 18:57
1 mile c/d
Daily total: 14 miles

Since moving to Salem a few weeks ago, Jordan and I have settled on a couple running routes through town that we repeat most days. As much as I like these routes (and Jordan, for that matter), I've definitely been looking forward to meeting new people and exploring some new roads. Last week I did a quick search online to learn more about a local running group I'd heard about previously, and discovered that every Thursday night the "No Rest For the Wicked Weekly 5k" is held starting just a few minutes' jog away from our house. This "race" is actually just an informal gathering of local runners who tempo, jog, walk or otherwise traverse a 5k road loop through town. Today, despite having slogged miserably through my morning run--suffice it to say the second 100-mile week has been much less of a treat than the first--I reasoned I had nothing to lose by lacing 'em up, meeting the group and trying to loosen up the legs with some uptempo running.

A half hour before the appointed start time, I jogged over to Washington Square--which is actually a triangle--and shuffled through a few warmup laps. I saw a group of fit-looking people forming near the main entrance and assumed they were my new running buddies. Almost 20 people had assembled by the appointed 6:45 start time, and after a round table of introductions and pace goals (conducted, I suspect, mostly for my benefit, which I appreciated) we were off. Based on the aforementioned introductions I deduced I'd likely be sticking with a few of the front-running guys, and less than two minutes in I could tell I was correct. Having not done much uptempo work in recent weeks (hell, months) I had a difficult time gauging pace but guessed we were running in the low 6-minute range. Much to my surprise given how weary my legs have been the past few days, the pace came quite naturally. I didn't want to break from the guys and get totally lost (even though, as it turned out, our course retraced Jordan's and my morning run almost exactly but in reverse), so I opted to stick close by instead of pressing on the gas. The final half mile or so was a bit of an obstacle course as we ran back into the congested downtown area and bobbed and weaved around some traffic, but I finished the course feeling no more winded or fatigued than when I'd started. Inexplicably, running close to marathon pace actually felt better than the 7:00-8:00 "easy" runs of the previous few days.


In the context of my high-mileage summer training, I definitely think this will be a worthwhile run to attend when possible. Everyone was super friendly and welcoming--and they go out for pizza and beers afterward, which is guaranteed to entice Jordan to join--and it's ridiculously easy to jog four minutes over from our new place to meet them. Now that I know the course, I think I'll aim to lock into goal marathon pace (5:55-6:00) every time I run this loop. Being able to manage that comfortably in the summer months after running 8-10 miles in the morning will be a great way to segue into fall marathon training.

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Marblehead Beach to Beach 5k

3 mile w/u + strides
Target: win, have fun
Actual: 17:17, 1st female
Results

When Jordan and I found out that there was a 5k taking place in Marblehead this weekend--on the very streets we run almost every day, no less--it seemed only fitting that we both participate. For him, it would be a very relaxed, pressure-free way to ease back into racing after months of injury and resultant lack of fitness. For me, this would fulfill the requirement of one last hard tempo before next weekend's NB Twilight 10k. And, given that we'll be moving from this quaint oceanside hamlet in just a few weeks, neither of us could think of a more appropriate way to bookend our season here.

After an entire week of thoroughly craptastic weather, I was thrilled to awaken on Saturday to brilliant blue, cloudless skies and glorious sunshine. Jordan and his mom left the house early to meet Huub at Devereux Beach, the start and finish site for the race. We've run by this beach, which sits just on the mainland side of the causeway that leads to the Neck, easily a hundred times but have never stopped to hang out. Today we'd not only be racing, but also spending some quality time displaying the Karhu Originals Airstream and selling some product after the event. Around 8am, I departed on foot to take advantage of the race's proximity by getting a head start on the warmup. I was borderline giddy thanks to the gorgeous weather and the prospect of a such a fun beginning to the weekend, a mood that continued to blossom when I arrived to the beach and found the Karhu Airstream already buzzing with energy. At this point there was just enough time to pin on my number, jog a few more warmup minutes with Jordan, and avoid the lines by seeking out the secret construction site port-a-potty (an underrated benefit to having run this route so many times before). Lining up at the start with a few hundred other walkers and runners, it became apparent that this was a decidedly low-key event. Now don't get me wrong, Jordan and I fully realized--and appreciated--from the outset that there would be no fanfare, no extravagant prize purse, no expectant race photographers there to capture the moment. What we didn't expect, moments before the gun (read: woman shouting into a bullhorn) sounded, was for said woman to lean over to Jordan and say, "Hey, you look pretty fast. You're probably going to win. Do you know the course? Because everyone's going to be following you." And so that is why, had you been at the starting line at 8:59 and 32 seconds, you would've seen Jordan frantically studying a printed race map in a valiant attempt to commit the course to memory because, in her words, "everyone was counting on him."

Given that auspicious beginning, would it surprise you to learn that there were no mile markers? I didn't think so. Since I don't own a Garmin, I was pretty much running on feel from the gun, er, bullhorn. What with my generally lackadaisical approach to the morning's activities, I didn't really mind. The first mile was contained completely within the several block radius between Devereux Beach and the usually busy Atlantic Avenue (oh yeah, did I mention no road closures?), which meant we had to navigate about half a dozen 90-degree turns within the first five minutes. I found myself surprisingly close to Jordan and his small group of cohorts when we finally turned back onto Beach about a mile in. At this point, passing by the start and finish area as we crossed the causeway toward the Neck, I was feeling pretty super. And why wouldn't I? The sun was shining, the wind was at my back, my biggest fans (namely Huub, his girlfriend Anne and Suzanne) were cheering raucously for me, and the terrain was almost perfectly flat. I'd traced this path countless times before on morning runs, evening runs, fartleks and tempos, and I felt perfectly relaxed and at home. Admittedly I had no idea what pace I was running, but I knew I could maintain the same effort for another 10 minutes or so with no problem.

The Saturday morning view from Devereux Beach

Once we finally bridged the causeway and reached the Neck, I could sense a male runner coming back to me. Since I didn't really have any other tangible motivation to push the pace, I resolved to hunt him down. Shortly thereafter we took a sharp left and I silently rejoiced that we'd totally avoided all of the Neck's trademark hilly sections. That is, until about 50 yards later, when we took another left onto a neighborhood side street and immediately faced a sharp, steep incline. I was still gaining on my target, but I was also beginning to tire. Once the hill was conquered and we returned in the direction from which we'd come, I was immediately hit by the force of the Neck's other trademark: a stiff headwind. By now I've conditioned myself to ignore the seemingly incessant gusts that exist on this direction of the causeway, but apparently that's not possible when you're actually trying to run some semblance of a fast pace. My target was obviously struggling as well, and with about 800 meters to go I passed him definitively--or so I thought. Do you remember the 2007 Chicago Marathon, when Adriana Pirtea celebrated down the finishing straight while Berhane Adere swings wide and stealthily passes her? Well, I wasn't high-fiving but he was definitely trying to sneak by on the outside. Tragically, he mistimed his kick and went out with a whimper instead of a bang, sputtering to a near-stop less than 200 meters from the finish. Sorry, sucka. I crossed the line in 17:17, about 70 seconds after Jordan. A double Kinlo victory! Overall, we couldn't have asked for a better start to the weekend.

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BAA 5k Race Recap

2.5 mile w/u + strides
Target: 5k @16:50-59 and/or top 15
Actual: 17:10, 15th place
Results
3 mile c/d
Total: ~9 miles

When Emily and I originally decided to run the BAA 5k a few weeks ago, we decided to approach it both as a hard, painful rustbuster and also as an opportunity to participate in marathon weekend without actually running the whole silly marathon. (This was a decision made long before the Marathon Monday weather forecast took on the life of its own that will now live in infamy, but as the weekend progressed that would only further reinforce the soundness of our thought process.) That said, I would be lying if I didn't admit that a large part of me was planning on swinging for the fences and setting a big road PR. After all, my training has been going well as of late, and if I'm hoping to throw down any remotely fast times on the track later this spring then I need to demonstrate some semblance of progress now.

I woke up early on Sunday morning feeling excited and energized but with a tinge of nervousness. For the upteenth time in the course of a few days, I realized how appreciate I was to Emily and Matt for hosting us at their house all weekend. To say they're conveniently located to the marathon festivities is a drastic understatement, as their front steps are less than two blocks away from the famed Boylston finish line. Since this landmark would also serve as the start and finish for today's 5k, that meant my transportation to and from the race would consist of little more than walking out the front door and trotting down the sidewalk for a few minutes. Long port-a-potty lines? Not a problem when your "hotel" is just as close as the nearest facilities and much less crowded.

To say, however, that the entire pre-race experience was stress free is omitting one tiny detail: Jordan forgot my race number. In the Airstream. Which was over at the Seaport Convention Center. To be fair, I'm the one who initially forgot it the day before after picking it up at the marathon expo. But after multiple texts and one phone call during which Jordan assured me he was putting the number in his bag, I didn't think twice about it. Fast forward to 7am on race morning, t-minus 60 minutes until go time, when I began quietly rummaging through Jordan's backpack while he slept off a beer or four in the bed beside me. After a few unsuccessful minutes, I nudged his groggy rat-tailed head and asked him to find it for me. Several frantic minutes and muttered expletives later, Jordan stumbled from the bed, hastily pulled on his speediest Karhus and sprinted out the door. He would be making the four mile round trip to and from the Airstream, hopefully with number in hand, in time to pin it on my kit and send me to the starting line in a little less than an hour. In contrast, I set off on a leisurely warm-up jog with Emily, forcing myself not to stress and reminding myself that Jordan excels at running while hungover. This is an underappreciated, but often quite useful, talent that would come in handy today.

Sure enough, less than five minutes before the start of the race and only two minutes after a heavily panting Jordan arrived with my bib, Emily and I squeezed through the dividers and wiggled our way to the front of the race. I immediately spotted several familiar faces, including my friend Kim Smith and my friend and former D2 rival Sarah Porter, but overall I was shocked by the sheer number of race participants and fans who had turned out. When my dad ran Boston in 2005 I joined him for the BAA 5k, but at the time I remember it being more of a lackadaisical fun run where we ambled around Boston Common and back. Nowadays it's serious business, with a legit elite field and prize purse on the line. I was starting to feel a bit out of my league, but fortunately Emily was there to remind me of our primary goals: run hard, run fast and enjoy the experience. As the gun sounded and we set off down Boylston Street into the morning sunshine, I felt nothing short of inspired.

No doubt it was that euphoric feeling, coupled with the breakneck speed at which the actual real elites sprinted off the starting line, that apparently caused my adrenaline-addled brain to convince my legs that they had only signed up for a mile race. If I had to put a conservative estimate on it, I'd say I charged through the first 400 meters at around five minute pace. When my legs finally got the memo that they had never, under any circumstances, actually run an entire mile--much less three consecutive miles--in five minutes, they immediately pulled back on the throttle. Unfortunately, the damage was already done. My fate was sealed by the time I hit the Boston Common hill toward the end of the first mile, a marker I passed in a 5:28 that felt far too labored. It was around this time that Esther Erb, a Zap Fitness athlete, came bounding past me. If you take a gander at the results and see how her finishing time differs drastically from mine, you'll understand how she, more than anyone else in the race, inadvertently taught me a lesson. Though I don't know her following two splits, they undoubtedly got faster from there thanks to her measured and conservative start, while I sputtered agonizingly backwards.

Unfortunately, thanks to my rookie tactical mistake, I didn't really enjoy the remaining 10 or so minutes as much as I'd hoped. I did hear a surprising number of passing cheers from people who actually knew me--Lauren and Jay Holder, Jocelyn Sikora, Betsy Burke, Chris "Gundy" Gunderson, Donna Sterns and my high school coach Tony Collins come to mind, though I know there were others--but I wasn't able to put on much of a show for them. I felt like I was crawling as we made the uphill turn onto Hereford Street before taking the final left onto Boylston. As I'm sure thousands of marathoners would realize the following day, that last stretch is a lot farther than it looks. I kicked for home for what seemed like an eternity, finally crossing the finish line in a decidedly underwhelming 17:10. Emily finished just a few steps behind me, quite impressive given her recent retirement (and subsequent un-retirement) from running. The flat course and stellar weather had primed many people for fast times today, but for whatever reason I was unable to capitalize on them. I didn't bomb, but I didn't achieve that highly sought after "breakthrough performance" either. Still, Emily and I accomplished the goals we set out for ourselves, and with an exciting Marathon Monday ahead of us and some freshly baked muffins awaiting our return there was little reason to dwell in disappointment.

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Cali Farewell Workout

6k w/u + strides
Target: 2x5k @MP (6-6:05 pace) w/3 min. jog
Actual: 18:42 (5:59 pace); 18:35 (5:57 pace)
~800m c/d
Total: 10 miles

When deciding whether to work out today or tomorrow, the answer was obvious. On Tuesday morning we would still be basking in the warm sunshine of Palm Springs, while Wednesday would find us fresh off a red-eye flight just in time to greet the coldest day thus far in Boston. So, despite having a busy day of work and travel that included meetings in LA and San Diego and that aforementioned red eye, we woke up early to enjoy one last hurrah in shorts and a t-shirt.

While warming up, Jordan suggested using the same route he'd taken for a similar effort the previous day. It was fairly low traffic and only featured a few turns, so it seemed ideal. What would make the loop a bit challenging is that it started with a long, gradual uphill for a full mile--not the most enjoyable way to kick things off, but fortunately this segment was immediately followed by a flat half-mile and then a gradual downhill mile before finishing slightly uphill for the final kilometer. Certainly not the rolling hills of Charlotte or even the Marblehead Neck, but still a bit mentally challenging. Jordan's plan also dictated not running faster than goal marathon pace, as the purpose here was not to achieve any fitness improvements but rather to gain comfort and confidence at the clip I'll hopefully be maintaining for over two and a half hours in less than two weeks' time.

As expected, the first mile was a bit of a grind as my breathing and legs struggled to find the pace on the uphill section. As soon as we turned the corner, however, everything fell into place. I was completely cruising through the middle portion of the interval and breathing like it was a light morning jog. Even the final slightly uphill kilometer did little to fatigue my breathing, which returned to normal almost immediately after finishing the first interval. Three minutes later, we set off again on the familiar loop with similar results. This time, however, I found my legs and lungs struggling more than I would've liked on the final uphill kilometer despite once again killing the middle section. Overall I'm still pleased with my breathing but frustrated by how tired my legs felt toward the end. Jordan assured me this is normal and that my body will snap out of it before next weekend, so I'll have to trust in that. I'm also nursing a slightly sore left foot, which meant I played it smart and cut the cooldown out almost completely--hey, I'm tapering!--so I could run home and stick my foot in the icy non-heated pool in Jordan's dad's complex. We're both depressed about leaving beautiful, warm, sunny California later tonight, so I'm glad we were able to fit this in before departing. Nothing but rest and recovery between now and Houston!


View from our last dinner, at Pacific Beach in San Diego
Can you blame us for wanting to stay??

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Indie 5k: Fastest Vendor in America!

4.5 mile w/u + strides
Target: 5k race @17:25 or faster + extra
Actual: 17:22, ~10 minute rest, 5x60-90 secs. @5k pace
Results
2.5 mile c/d
Total: 12 miles



So, having not run a 5k in many months, apparently I forgot that it essentially necessitates sprinting as hard as you can for three miles and then running even faster for the next 40 seconds. This is inherently not what one would call "fun." However, if said 5k takes place in the middle of the biggest running industry reunion of the entire year, in one of the coolest cities in the country, while most of the participants are either hung over or likely still legally inebriated from the previous night's debauchery, and costs approximately zero dollars to participate--well, that's pretty hard to pass up. And so, just like last year, Jordan and I woke up ridiculously early on the morning prior to the longest and busiest day of the entire event so we could jog over to Zilker Park and line up next to several hundred of our friends and colleagues for a good old fashioned road race. Going in, I felt confident I was fitter than last year--when I popped a 17:29 out of nowhere just a month removed from injury--but I also realized that last year's performance did not take place in the midst of a string of 90+ mile weeks. I was hoping to run faster than the 17:29 I posted then, but more than anything wanting to put forth a quality effort and hopefully add on some more substance afterward.

Lining up a good five or six rows back from the starting line, I found myself standing next to my buddy and former employer Tim Rhodes of Charlotte-based Run For Your Life. Several summers ago I engaged in a memorable 5k battle against Tim, in which I agreed to spot him two minutes and still pledged to run him down. On that day I came up literally inches short, my 16:59.5 no match for his valiant 18:59.3. Currently neither of us are in top 5k form, but we agreed that a 2:30 handicap should just about level the playing field. Customary trash talking ensued, and before I knew it another innocent bystander was invested in the outcome. Tim's friend Paul Epstein, owner of Running Wild in Pensacola, FL, leaned over and asked what I planned to run. When I responded with "somewhere in the 17:30 range," he announced his intentions to run with me. I was thrilled, hoping we could work together but also secretly hoping I could crush his spirits later in the race. (Just kidding...but seriously.) A cursory scan of the crowded starting line didn't indicate that there were any women lined up ahead of me, which was surprising. As I mentioned previously, last year my time barely cracked the top five, so I wasn't expecting this year to be much different. Speculation aside, I knew I would find out one way or the other within the next few minutes.

At 7:30, a full half hour after the expected starting time (hence the lengthy warmup), the gun finally went off. Having run the course last year I knew that after a relatively flat opening 800 meters, we would enter the first of two figure-eight loops. This course layout meant that we would be forced to climb a short, steep, highly unpleasant uphill section not once or twice, but actually four times throughout the race. Two of these climbs would be matched by equally steep and short downhills (think heavy footfalls and pinwheeling arms), while the other two were accompanied by much more gradual descents. As we approached the first uphill, my eyes were glued on the racers ahead as I scanned for other women in the mix. I didn't see any, but found it hard to believe I was in the lead. My hoped-for racing buddy, Paul, put a solid ten meters on me in the first few minutes, but as we approached the first mile marker I found myself gaining on him slightly. My watch read 5:48 as I passed the first marker, but I found it difficult to believe I could be working so hard only to maintain such a pedestrian pace. (Note: I distinctly remember thinking the same thing last year. Either it just takes me an embarrassing amount of time to get warmed up or the first mile is actually mismarked. Naturally I choose to believe the latter. The world may never know.) Shortly thereafter I passed Paul, who hung tough by immediately latching on through the downhill. Near 2k I found myself approaching another familiar face (back?), Donny Forsyth of Charlotte Running Company. Donny is a great athlete and tough competitor, and I knew he wouldn't let me pass him without a fight. Sure enough, despite my best efforts to break away, I could hear his insistent breathing and footsteps right on my heels. I passed through two miles in 11:20 with Donny in hot pursuit.

At this point, it occurred to me that I could actually win. This might sound obvious to someone reading, but again based on past results the thought had never previously entered my consciousness. If there were another woman ahead of me then she was so far gone that I couldn't even see her, much less think about catching her, and for the first time since the race began I actually began to doubt that this hypothetical person actually existed. As I pressed uphill for the fourth and final time, finally beginning to shake Donny, I knew that if I could just hang on for another thirty seconds I'd be home free for the final 600 meters downhill. I pushed through all the way to the line as the gun time clicked just past 17:25 (which I would learn later was actually a 17:22 chip time), pleased with the strength of my effort but still uncertain as to whether I'd actually won. Finally, after asking Jordan and several other finish line bystanders, the victory was confirmed. I hung by the finish line for a few minutes to catch my breath and to cheer/jeer Tim home as he almost outkicked the 50-year-old lady in front of him before setting off across the street with Jordan to add on a few more miles to my workout. Though my legs were shell-shocked and not a little indignant at what I'd just put them through, they finally began to respond about halfway through the pickups. I finished the workout just how I'd finished the race--feeling not exactly fast but unquestionably strong. And though I'm sure many people would dispute this, I now have a ridiculously heavy Texas-shaped trophy proclaiming that I am the "fastest vendor in America." If the hardware says so, I should probably add it to my business card.


The trophy and sweet Timex GPS watch I won

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