Summer Preview Workout

3.5 mile w/u
Target: 4 mile tempo @5:50 pace, 1 mile jog, 6x1 min. surges
Actual: 5:34, 5:52, 5:58, 3:00 (for .5), 1.5 mile jog, 6x1 min. surges
1 mile c/d
Total: 11.5 miles

Unfortunately the title of this post refers to the unseasonably warm weather that awaited me for this Sunday afternoon workout in Atlanta. Never mind that a week ago I was slogging through 30 degrees and freezing rain in Central Park; when I pulled into the Chattahoochee River parking lot at 1pm today I was greeted with bright sunshine and a muggy 82-degree temperature reading. One could argue that I shouldn't have put this off until the hottest part of the day, but I sort of didn't have a choice. Sort of.

My quick Atlanta trip began around 3pm yesterday afternoon when I trekked down I-85 for my friends Jennie's and Leo's going away party. Leo just finished up chiropractic school so the duo is off to Ohio, their home state, to begin their careers. Our friend and Jennie's now-former employer Genie Beaver from West Stride hosted the soiree, which was filled with laughter and great conversation and the occasional tear-inducing toast. I'd planned all along to crash at Jennie and Leo's because, well, that's what I do--right up until the minute I learned that their U-Haul was literally loaded up and ready for their 7am departure this morning! Fortunately Genie and her husband Todd graciously offered to host me at their home, an offer I readily accepted as I didn't really have a Plan B secured. By the time the party and ensuing cleanup wound down and we were settled in for a few SNL skits, it was almost 1am. 1am?! I didn't even make it to 11pm last weekend and I was in NYC! So, needless to say, after this shockingly uncharacteristic late night none of us were in any hurry to wake up on Sunday. I lounged in the guest bedroom until the indulgent hour of 8:30am before rising to greet kiddos Sylvia and Carlyn...then I drank a cup of coffee...then another cup...then Todd made pancakes...then another cup...aaaand next thing I knew it was past noon and I was still in my PJs. Sigh. Would that the run could've magically completed itself. Instead I reluctantly changed clothes--read: put on a sports bra--and bid my wonderful hosts adieu. So, that's my compelling justification for waiting until the afternoon to run. Take it or leave it.

Once I negotiated my way into a parking spot in the overcrowded lot, the time for procrastination was over. After warming up with one loop around the dirt I came to the sobering realization that the weather was definitely going to factor into my performance. Instead of running another dirt loop for my tempo portion, I opted to branch off onto Columns Drive, a completely flat five mile out-and-back residential street that branches off from the river's other parking lot. With its wide bike lanes and smooth asphalt, I deemed it a better venue for attempting a fast run than the exceptionally crowded river loop. Minus a steady influx of cyclists, it would be relatively free of pedestrians and other obstructions and was also well-marked with reliable mile markers. If this tempo was going to happen, it was going to happen out there.

From the first step I could tell I was running too fast. The wind was at my back and I was unsure of myself, doubting the moderate effort level that my body required to produce a 5:50 mile. I came through the first mile in 5:34 breathing heavily, annoyed at my rookie pacing mistake. I made a conscious effort to back off for mile two but the generous tailwind made moderation difficult even despite my rapidly fatiguing legs. I split 5:52 and knew I would enjoy another half mile with the breeze at my back before making a wide U-turn at the traffic signal and crossing to the opposite side of the road. As soon as I did, the wind and penetrating sunlight hit me like a ton of bricks. Combined with the accumulation of lactic acid from starting out waaaay too fast (current 5k race pace, anyone?), I knew things were going south in a hurry. When I split 3:00 for the first half of the final mile, lungs burning and breath ragged and legs practically sprinting, I knew it was time to shut it down. I jogged the final stretch of Columns and counted down the minutes until I reached the parking lot and its promised water fountains. After several minutes of rest and what felt like several gallons of refreshing agua, I was ready to hit the dirt once again. Spurred on in equal parts by my frustration at the truncated tempo and my overwhelming desire to finish the run, I pushed pretty hard on the surges. By this point I was in no small danger of overheating, but I sought the shaded treeline as much as possible and vowed to rehydrate like crazy as soon as I was done. In the end I should've probably run another mile or two, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I finished off with some drills and stretches and a huge bottle of water in the parking lot before departing for the nearest smoothie purveyor. If these are the conditions I have to look forward to in the coming months, my body better get ready to do a better job of adapting than it did today. Perhaps my system is just shocked and bewildered that the conditions seem to have skipped straight from winter to summer with no refreshing spring grace period. Regardless, it's time to HTFU. If you don't know what it means, just read Jordan's socks.

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Road Trip: ATL

Sunday: 15.5-16 miles @Kennesaw Mtn. National Battlefield Park
Saturday PM: 8-8.5 miles @Chattahoochee River trails
Saturday AM: 8 miles w/West Stride training group

Twas an epic road trip weekend for Jordan and myself. The destination: Atlanta. The objective: Craft and Karhu wear test run at West Stride. The payoff: Hanging out with friends and knocking out some great runs.

It started Friday afternoon, when Jordan and I loaded up Felix the "sport wagon" and set off in the southbound direction on I-85. We didn't have anything on the agenda for Friday but needed to be up bright and early for a Craft and Karhu wear test run at West Stride on Saturday morning. After a brief stop in Greenville we arrived in Atlanta just in time to grab some dinner and call it an early night.

Saturday morning dawned crisp and cold--quite the relief, as I'd only brought Zero and Zero Extreme base layers for wear testing and it was 80 degrees up until Friday! The gang at West Stride was expecting 50-75 people for the run, which meant that Jordan and I pulled out all the stops by setting up a tent, table, flag and samples in the parking lot. There was a flurry of activity when the wear test samples were brought out, and within minutes I'd handed out every piece in the box. The run through the affluent surrounding neighborhoods was a lot of fun and I heard tons of positive feedback about the Craft base layers--a few people even asked to buy the shirts that were on their backs! Always a good sign when people are that excited about the product.

In the early afternoon Jordan and I paid a visit to Fleet Feet John's Creek, our partner for 13.1 Atlanta, before driving back to midtown to meet my friend Jennie for a photography session. In addition to working at West Stride, training for the next Olympic Trials and earning a massage therapy license, Jennie is also an accomplished photographer (check out her site here). Apparently she is helping shoot for an Atlanta running calendar and was in need of some super hot girls (myself, obviously, and her friend Kyla) to run for some photos. I don't know whether or not we fit the bill, but we did get honked at eight different times by men who appeared to be of all ages and ethnic persuasions, so I consider that a victory any day of the week.


A less technical section of the Chattahoochee River trails

Next on tap after my supermodel shoot was a trail run with JSK at the Chattahoochee River. Jordan has been here with me once before but we barely made it up into the technical trails, so today was a special treat. The weather could not have been better for a run, and the sound of autumn leaves crunching under our feet supplied the perfect soundtrack for our afternoon miles. Having not been on trails for a while I found myself quite timid on some of the more technical sections, which meant that every few minutes Jordan would gap me by about 50 meters before feeling guilty and stopping to wait. This sequence was repeated at least half a dozen times before he grew exasperated with the tortoise and left me to fend for myself. By the time we made it back to the parking lot the sun was dipping below the horizon and I was thoroughly exhausted--and, of course, hungry. We hadn't eaten a proper meal all day and I was ready to tear something up. Fortunately we'd made plans to rendezvous with Jennie and her husband Leo for a fun night out at Antico, an authentic local pizza place. The menu is stark and simple and they import all their ingredients from Italy, which means they close up shop each night when they run out of provisions. The coolest part is they make the food while you watch (the limited selection of table seating is located literally in the middle of their kitchen). Oh, and it's BYOB and BYOD (dessert). How can you not love that? And, just in case there was any doubt, let me confirm that the pizza was amazing and the atmosphere was loud and boisterous, just like I imagine a real Italian pizzeria would be. We left feeling full and tired and ready to crash early.


A map of our Sunday run--we went from the Visitor Center
to Kolb Farm and back

Sunday morning saw us returning once more to West Stride for a staff meeting/clinic, which wrapped up around 10:30. From there it was time to conquer the mountain--Kennesaw Mountain, that is, a spot just north of Atlanta with miles and miles of glorious wooded trails. I'd only planned on putting in 12 or so miles, but about 30 minutes in Coach Jordan decided I must be feeling peppy (not sure what part of my labored breathing and heavy footfalls offered that indication) and encouraged me to keep going. Since he wasn't dropping me every two minutes like yesterday I decided to take him up on it and continue to the eight-mile mark at Kolb Farm. The trails were hopping with runners, walkers, horseback riders and even the occasional costume (several times we passed a guy wearing a full body skeleton suit who unbeknownst to me was actually my friend Kate's husband). My quads and hammies were throbbing at the turnaround point, already fatigued from an hour of undulating trails, but from there I had no alternative but to return from whence I came. The final 20 minutes were incredibly tough--I'm too lazy to look it up now, but I don't think I've run two hours more than a time or two in the past year--but I still managed to enjoy the serene beauty of the trails and the gorgeous autumn weather. Nature could not have delivered a better morning, and despite my aching body I had a blast exploring new terrain with Jordan. What a perfect end to our weekend road trip.


Beautiful Kennesaw Mtn. trails

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CVS Downtown 5k Weekend, Part 1

At long last, the CVS Downtown 5k (and US 5k Championships) has finally arrived. Though I was understandably bummed about not being able to compete this morning, the circumstances afforded me the unusual (for me) opportunity to spectate; more specifically, to spectate an elite race in which Jordan was participating. This was his third time to compete in the Downtown 5k but my first time to attend, and I was looking forward to experiencing the buzz surrounding an event of this magnitude.

The trip started early on Saturday morning with our flight to PVD. Jordan and I were on the same flight with Pezz, who was also competing. She ran 17:02 for around 20th place at this event last year but was hoping to improve upon both her place and her finish this time around. Our northbound flight was uneventful, and before we knew it we were hitching a ride on the race shuttle to the elite athletes' hotel downtown. After spending a few hours enjoying the familiar downtown sights we cabbed it over to our weekend accomodations at the home of our friend Kim Smith. Kim was not only gracious enough to offer us a place to stay for the weekend, but she didn't even mind us making ourselves at home on Saturday while she was out of town preparing to beat up on some girls at the Philly Half-Marathon. Her friend and fellow Providence grad Richie Yeates and his girlfriend were also taking advantage of Chez Kim for the night, which further solidifies Kim's position as the most gracious hostess ever.


Checking out the action before the start of the race

Race morning dawned sunny and clear and surprisingly warm. The warmth would become even more noticeable as race time approached considering that the gun would not be fired until after 11am. I can't remember the last time I've run or witnessed a 5k road race that started this late. So late, in fact, that we had time to wake up and drink coffee while watching the online feed of the Philly Half-Marathon in its entirety before even thinking about departing for our own race. (Naturally, the Philly coverage was spotty at best and only followed the male runners, which meant we didn't get to see a step of Kim's race. We found out later that she totally rocked it and finished 5th despite being in the middle of marathon training, and made up over 10 seconds over the last 5k to almost overtake Shalane Flanagan.)


Jordan, Jeff and the legendary Johnny G

Just before 10am we hopped in the car with Richie and Corrine and made our way back into downtown. I wasn't quite sure what to do with myself for the seemingly endless hour until the race start, but fortunately I passed the time meeting new people (like Jordan's former college coach and mentor John Gregorek) and catching up with old (my friend Jennie from Atlanta and the one and only Jeffrey "G-Unit" Gaudette, both spectating the race). The final minutes before the race were spent strategizing how best to maximize our time on the course, as we wanted to see the start and the finish and as many mile markers as possible in between. Fortunately Jeff was quite familiar with the course and was ready with sound instructions. I must admit I was a bit apprehensive because I realized that in order to truly watch the race unfold, I would have to run--and not slowly--from point to point. I haven't run a step in three weeks and didn't plan for my tester jog to take place today, but I didn't have much choice. Sometimes you have to man up on game day, even if you have a concussion. (How's that for an metaphor, Jilane?)

At 11:15 sharp the race commenced, and before we knew it a veritable throng of athletes were descending down the first hill. I have no doubt that all of them were relishing the downhill, just as I know they were already dreading the return trip up a few miles later. As the athletes rounded the first corner, the spectating contingent (consisting mostly of myself, Jennie, Corinne, Jeff, and the Brown and Providence College xc teams) made a mad dash to the mile marker. My first steps out of the gate felt a bit awkward and clunky for sure, but to my relief there was no pain, just mild discomfort. At this point I'll take it. We reached the mile marker just in time to see the lead group come through under 4:30. Jordan was off the back of this group but not far behind in 4:35, the fastest he's gone out in a 5k all year. I yelled at him that he looked great and immediately began praying that he wouldn't die an agonizing death late in the race. The lead female, newly crowned 5k American record holder Molly Huddle, came through right around five minutes. This also made me happy, because I'd told Jordan beforehand that if Molly beat him he most definitely was not allowed to come home. (And, to be honest, it wasn't completely out of the realm of possibility. Molly just ran 14:44 on the track a few weeks ago, which is identical to Jordan's 5k PR on the road. Yikes.)


The lead pack mid-race. Jordan is somewhere in the vicinity.

As soon as the elites passed by we took off again to the second mile marker, then had a few minutes to hurry up and wait for the runners to approach. Jordan split right around five minutes for this mile, still well off the lead pack but well ahead of Molly (whew). It was cool to see all the Brown team members, most of whom don't even know Jordan because they're much younger than him, yelling his name and cheering him on. I'm sure it gave him a much-needed boost at the point when he was starting to fatigue. I only caught a brief glimpse of Pezz as she sped by, but it looked as though she was holding her own and putting together a phenomenal race. I shouted her name over my shoulder before darting off again.


View of the uphill finish

Onward toward the finish line! I'm a bit embarrassed to say I was breathing way more heavily than anyone should after six total minutes of running, but at least my foot wasn't cracking in half. It's all about the small victories. We reached the bottom of the hill just in time to see the leaders rounding the final bend several strides ahead of the chase pack. Unfortunately, the home stretch consisted entirely of the aforementioned uphill, which meant that only the strongest person would win out. We found out later that the strongest man would be Robert Cheseret, who powered up the final incline to take his first national title as a US citizen. I barely noticed who else passed except to count their positions, straining my neck every few seconds to see if I could spot the familiar Karhu/Craft singlet. Jordan rounded the final bend in 24th position, looking strong but definitely laboring. Jeff clocked his three-mile split at just over 14:25, which meant he would have to hustle to crack 15 minutes and best his performance from last year.

In the end, Jordan would miss this marker by one elusive second, but it barely mattered. He managed to pull off his fastest race of the season despite a few crazy weeks of traveling and sluggish legs. And, more importantly, he had the chance to run on his home turf with his friends and coach cheering him on. Though I would be lying if I denied feeling a few pangs of longing as I stood by on the sidelines, for the most part I was just grateful to be outside enjoying the gorgeous early autumn day and watching a fantastic race. Speaking of fantastic races, I couldn't be prouder to share that Pezz finished in fifth place and set a new road PR of 16:29. She has struggled with her share of injuries during her short running career and deserves to finally reap the benefits of her patience and persistence.

And that, my friends, is my recap of the CVS Downtown 5k. And now that the serious business is out of the way, it's time to make the most of our remaining hours in Providence. Post-race celebration details to follow!

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Rules Were Meant to Be Broken, Fitness Centers Were Meant to Be Open

AM: 30 mins. pool
PM: 60 mins. ellip. incl. 5x5 mins. on, 5 mins. off

This morning was full of racing action, though not for myself. Jordan, Tanya, Pezz and a few thousand other people were slated to contest the CVS Downtown 5k in Providence at 11:15 sharp. I was excited and nervous for each of my friends as gun time approached, and couldn't wait to hear from Jordan post-race. Turns out he didn't end up running as fast as he'd hoped, but still secured a spot on the Ivy League Ekiden team. One out of two isn't bad. Tanya didn't really run a great race either, but Pezz ran well, as did my friend Jennie from Atlanta. Turns out she and Tanya were roommates at the host hotel and quickly realized they both knew me--what a small, small world the elite running community is.

Full of post-race energy, I was eager to hit up the fitness center for my own workout in the afternoon. Since they're supposed to be open from 3 to 9 on Sunday, and the dining hall opens from 5 to 7:30, I decided to head up around 4:30 for an hour workout, figuring I could finish at just the right time to hit up the dining hall for dinner. So, imagine my frustration when I arrived to discover the lights were off and the "closed" sign displayed. Yet the side door was still open...hmm...so, I texted Jordan reporting the state of the situation and asking his advice.

Me: Just got to the fitness center. Lights are off and the closed sign is up but the door is open. What should I do?
Jordan: Turn on the lights and flip the sign.

So, yup, that's what I did. Turned on the lights and fans, flipped the sign, unlocked the front door...et voila! The fitness center is now open for business!

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Breakfast Run With the Girls

70 mins.
9-10 miles

This morning I had a run planned with Ashley and Jennie. We really just wanted to hit up the Flying Biscuit and figured we better burn a few calories first. Because I knew I wouldn't be doubling, I opted to jog over to Ashley's from my place so I could get in a few extra miles. I arrived just as the watch hit 15 minutes and then stretched on the curb until Jennie arrived.

A word about the weather today: it's disgusting. Like warm, muggy, drizzly, gross. It doesn't feel remotely like Christmas and I'm not happy about it at all. That said, the run was still enjoyable thanks to the company. Ashley and Jennie are pretty excited about me going back to school and running track this spring (although sad to see me leave). Both of them ran collegiately--Ashley was a 5k/10k girl at Georgia State and Jennie ran the 1500 at the University of Akron--and they're already making plans to come to one of my meets and paint my name on their stomachs or something.

Anyhow, the run passed quickly. I parted ways with them in the middle of Little Five Points and finished at my house just at 70 minutes. After that it was time to meet the girls at Flying Biscuit and really get the morning started.

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Group Run at the River

90 mins.
12 miles

I had a lovely group run this morning with Jim, Meredith, Jennie and her husband Leo. This was the first time these two pairs had met each other, so I brokered the introductions and then let comradery take its course. Actually all parties got along swimmingly and it was a fun time.

Jennie and Leo only wanted to go an hour or so, so we did a pretty basic loop up in the trails and then dropped them off back at the parking lot. Jim and Meredith and I did another flat 5k loop and then they also called it a day. I decided to run another 12 minutes or so to bring it to an even 90. Jeff had 13 on my schedule for the morning, but my legs are feeling rather fatigued from yesterday's effort and I didn't want to push things too much. Besides, it looks like I could crack 60 miles on the week, which is pretty stupendous. 61 would just be showing off.

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Coldest Run Ever

52-53 mins.
7 miles

For the second week in a row, Jennie and I met at Ashley's apartment for a run. Today we were joined by a fourth, our friend Kate who works at Big Peach. It was markedly colder today than it has been on any run so far this year, and I (over)dressed like a hobo to compensate. I wore the shirt that earned me the famous Green Lightning moniker, a top that we at Brooks affectionately refer to as the "Old 98er" because it costs 98 bucks. I even committed to gloves and a headband around my ears, as the wind chill had temps in the low 20s.

Partly because it was cold and partly because we wanted to get to the crux of the morning (i.e. breakfast), we kept things at a pretty decent clip. I'm actually sore from running yesterday, which is more than a little embarrassing, and I was huffing and puffing toward the end of today's effort. Also, my face was frozen. I was pretty happy to pack it in just after 50 minutes and head over to Highland Bakery.

Also, I'm getting a space heater today. The insanity ends now.

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Will Run for Breakfast

56 mins.
~8 miles

So, after talking with Coach Jeff, we decided it would be advisable for me to take a few days completely off in hopes of healing up the foot. I'm pretty sure that was discussed with the implication that those days off would begin today. However, that was before I got an offer I could not refuse: a run AND breakfast with other people! And, even better, this run would occur within steps of my own neighborhood, meaning it wouldn't be necessary to leave thirty minutes early to drive up to the river.


Springvale Park, directly across the street from Ashley's place.
Apparently the swan who lives in the pond is not very nice.

Needless to say, I needed little convincing. I met Jennie, a cool girl who works at West Stride (actually it's owned by John McDonnell's niece, a former high school standout from Oklahoma and an All-American at Georgetown), and Ashley, the Adi tech rep, at Ashley's condo in Inman Park. While I used to live in Inman Park, I never really explored the back neighborhoods behind the main strip, and I am discovering I absolutely love the quaint parks and beautiful houses back there. At any rate, we embarked on a circuitous run (that unfortunately took place mostly on sidewalks and roads) through Candler Park to Decatur, flipped a U at the MARTA station, then headed back down Ponce and finished up through Little Five Points. The pace was respectable and the hills were challenging, so all in all my legs were quite fatigued by the time this jaunt was finished. Afterward we headed to Flying Biscuit for revelry, merriment and carbs. It was pretty much a perfect morning.


Woodruff House in Inman Park. This is where the founder of Coca-Cola
used to live. Now it's clearly owned by some family with a little brat who
likes to ruin this majestic house with his basketball goal.

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