Moving Day

AM: 43 mins.
6 miles
PM: 4 miles

The fact that we had a chance to run at all today, much less double, is nothing short of a miracle. We received a call yesterday around 5pm confirming that we needed to be out of Jordan's apartment that night--we thought we'd have until Monday morning--and at that point we had literally NOTHING packed. Naturally, this threw me straight into panic mode, especially since we were both tied up at work until 7. Needless to say, we spent the next 12 hours packing, throwing crap away, taking trips to the storage unit and stuffing my car to the brim. Somehow we managed to snag 4-5 hours of sleep in there, but we were up and at it before 6 on Saturday and the apartment was completely vacated by 8:30.

So, from there we had nowhere to go. We were officially homeless. Our improvised plan of action was to drive over to Scotty's sister's house and hope for the best. She lives right across the way from OK Runner and we were hoping to take a quick shower there before work. This afforded us just enough time to get in a run and, despite both of our overwhelming fatigue, I think we both felt worlds better afterward.

I was only on at the running store until early afternoon, so just before 4 I had the chance to sneak in another few miles. Seeking out soft surfaces, I drove over to Norman High and was content to run loops around the grassy perimeter of the school. I ran s-l-o-w, didn't even start my watch, and I doubt a single one of my miles was faster than 8 minutes. No worries though, as I was loving the relaxed pace and the soft surface. I didn't even notice the heat despite it being 90+ degrees outside, and would've enjoyed running a few more loops if I didn't have to get back to Scotty's sister's house to shower before our sushi crawl in the city.

And on the matter of the sushi crawl, let's just say that was an experience that deserves a completely separate post. Stay tuned...

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Friday Morning Fun

3 mile w/u
4-4.5 miles barefoot incl. 4x100m barefoot strides
2.5 mile c/d
Total: ~10 miles

I won't steal Jordan's thunder and share too much info about his workout, except to say that he ran very, very well. But who cares about that when I can regale you with the tales of my backwards barefoot laps? Exactly.

To begin with, this was hands down the best weather of the entire week. Low 60s with a light breeze and low humidity is just about perfect by anyone's standards, and I was glad for Jordan's sake that his tempo was scheduled for today. As for myself, I felt pretty fantastic due in no small part to the weather, but also to the energy on the track. I saw Jordan (and Scotty D., ever the gamer, pacing the effort on his trusty bicycle) as we crossed paths on every lap, and though I never let things get out of conrol I certainly fed off their energy. Sometimes I get bored by the monotony of continuous loops on the infield, but today I was totally engaged and thoroughly enjoyed every step.

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No Complaints

AM: 43 mins.
6 miles
15 mins. core/stretching
PM: 31 mins.
4 miles

You know how every once in a while you have a run that just clicks? Sure, the other 90% of your outings may be sluggish or slow or even downright uncomfortable, but you endure these days by holding out hope for one of those rare moments of perfection. Well, friends, today was one of those days. For whatever reason, I could tell from the first few steps that it was going to be an enjoyable run. The time passed too quickly as we wound through some familiar terrain, and I was almost disappointed to see Main Street come into view just past 40 minutes.

I grabbed Jordan from OK Runner at close of business this evening and we headed over to the high school with Carrot Top in pursuit. Scotty D. was hoping to attempt his first post-injury (or, let's be honest, mid-injury) run of 5 or 10 minutes and wanted to confine things to the faux-grassy infield. Not suprisingly, I was tempted to kick off the shoes for the second day in a row, but since part of our run included loops around the school I opted not to. Even so, all but about 200m of this jaunt was unpaved, so my legs and feet still felt the benefits of the softer surface.

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Against the Clock

3 mile w/u
3 miles barefoot + 4x100m barefoot strides
2.5 mile c/d (incl. 1 barefoot)
Total: 8.5 miles

The time has come to bid Gary and Roger adieu, so we made plans to rendezvous for coffee at 8am prior to their departure. As a result, Jordan and I were up and out the door by 6:30 for his relatively brief 300m workout. The temperature wasn't too bad but the air was heavy and sticky--not ideal for a workout, but certainly could be worse.

I followed my now-familiar routine of warming up with him, then shedding the shoes and hitting the turf for the remainder of the run. As always, it felt absolutely fantastic, and had we not been already running a few minutes late to meet the fam I would've been perfectly content to continue my counter-clockwise revolutions. I think he plans to revisit the track for a tempo run on Friday so perhaps I can indulge myself then.

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Monday at the Museum

AM: 58 mins.
8 miles
PM: 3 miles

The constant drizzle and pervasive overcast skies made this a perfect day to stay inside. Fortunately, we'd coordinated in advance to take a private tour of the OKC Memorial Museum with Stacey, the developmental director there whom Jordan and I met at the marathon sponsors' luncheon a few weeks ago. Stacey showed the four of us around the museum and did an amazing job of bringing it to life. To say we were moved is an understatement, and I for one was unprepared by the level of raw emotion I experienced during our two-hour stay. Simply amazing. Anyone reading this who resides in the greater OKC area, I definitely recommend taking in this experience.


The survivor tree at the OKC Memorial Museum

We capped off Gary and Roger's last night in town with a fun evening at Gaijin with Scotty, Craig and Carolyn. Great conversation and good times were had by all, and we could've hung out for hours longer if it wasn't already past 10 and if we weren't already closing the place down.

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Barefoot Again

3 mile w/u
3+ miles barefoot + 4x100m barefoot strides
2.5 mle c/d
Total: 9 miles

I did some barefoot jogging during Jordan's pre-race workout. It was swell.

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Monday Double

AM: 52 mins.
7 miles
15 mins. core
PM: 3 miles

This was a great start to the week as I put a solid double on the board. We started things off with a double loop through Sutton and some core this morning, then capped off the evening with a few laps around Norman High. My legs felt surprisingly fresh on both runs, a contrast to the way I felt finishing yesterday's longer jaunt. If the weather doesn't get out of control this could turn into a great week of training.

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Double Trouble

AM: 50 mins.
7 miles
15 mins. core
PM: 4 miles incl. 3x100m strides

I put in a solid double today with Jordan. The morning run took us to Sutton, where we were seeking shade, and the evening run took us back over to the track. Jordan needed to do some 200m pickups and I just wanted to get in a few easy miles. I think a storm's a brewin' as it was overcast and noticeably cooler on our PM jaunt. Of course by "noticeably cooler" I mean in the upper 80's at 7pm rather than the upper 90's. After his two hundos Jordan coached my form on a few strides. He hopes to one day cure me of my shuffling tendencies, which is an admirable if lofty goal.

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Barefoot Loops

3 mile w/u
~4.5 miles barefoot incl. 4x100m barefoot strides
2.5 mile c/d
Total: 10 miles


Where the barefoot magic happens

Jordan had a mile repeat workout scheduled today, which meant we were at the door and en route to the Norman High track just past 7:00. I was excited at the prospect, not so much because he was working out but because I would be able to participate in my favorite activity, barefoot running. I basically ran backwards loops with some strides thrown in while he and Carrot Top cavorted around the track. Too bad my actual workouts aren't as relaxing and enjoyable as this.

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Official Workout Photographer

3 mile w/u
2 miles incl. 5x400m in 75, 74, 76, 75, 74
2 mile c/d
Total: 7 miles
15 mins. core



Jordan had another track workout scheduled for today, and asked me to snap a few photos so he could "spice up his blog." I didn't have much else to do--would've liked to run my own workout but didn't want to overdo it; would've liked to run barefoot but didn't want to overdo that either--so I was happy to oblige. To keep myself from getting terribly bored, I also jumped in with him on the second 400 of each of his 800s, which he was aiming to run in the 2:30-2:35 range. I got plenty of rest in between and enjoyed turning the legs over on each interval. We capped things off with a mile of barefoot jogging before taking it back to the house.


Now those are some gnarly feet.

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Barefoot Timing Duties

22 min. w/u (3 miles)
~5 miles incl. 15-20 barefoot strides
28 min. c/d (3.5 miles)
Total: ~11 miles
Jordan's workout

Since I have nothing to train for in the foreseeable future, my role during today's track workout was primarily as an assistant. Jordan was planning to hit some pretty quick splits and wanted me to call out his times at each 200. I was happy to oblige, especially because I planned on getting in plenty of barefoot running at the same time.

After warming up three miles together, Jordan spiked up for some strides and stretching while I kicked off the shoes and started running some barefoot laps. Our arrival at the Norman High track coincided perfectly with the arrival of their football team, which would serve to be both a source of entertainment and consternation throughout the workout. My plan was to start the stopwatch, sprint the diagonal across the field to the next 200 and repeat, and this hinged on not having to play Frogger dodging 13-year-old boys struggling to push sleds across the 50-yard-line. For the most part it worked out fine, but there were a few times when my attempts to circumnavigate them almost resulted in Jordan beating me to the line. That would've been embarrassing.

Overall I had a great time out there today. It was fun to be at the track and not feel nervous about my own workout. Instead I cheered on Jordan, sprinted around like a crazy person timing his splits, and jogged barefoot during all of his rest segments. This is the largest chunk of barefoot running I've ever done at a time, but it felt absolutely fantastic. By the time we made it back home, I was surprised to mentally tally up 11 miles as my total for the morning. That's about as impressive as Jordan's workout seeing as he only ran hard for nine minutes.

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Back in the 405

AM: 62 mins.
8 miles
15 mins. core
PM: 31 mins. + 4x100m barefoot strides
4+ miles

After my seemingly neverending travel yesterday, I relished a restful night's sleep (blowup mattress notwithstanding) back in Norman. This morning Jordan and I jogged over to the OU tennis courts to meet Conor Holt and his wife Camille. Conor is the guy who owns Jordan (and the course record) at the OKC Marathon. Camille, a stud in her own right, was a 2008 Olympic Trials marathon qualifier and runs for Team Indiana Elite. I'd met them briefly on Friday night at Jazz in June, as they were in town visiting family, and this would be their last jog in Norman before returning to their home in Indiana.

Not wanting to hold the boys back, Camille and I set off in our own direction for the majority of the run. It was great to talk training with someone who, like myself, didn't really run much in undergrad and has made the majority of her breakthroughs within the past few years. She currently has a 2:42 marathon to her credit and is shooting for the Olympic Trials "A" qualifier of 2:39 at Twin Cities this fall. One unique aspect of Camille's training is that she runs slowly. Like, really slowly. 8:00 to 8:30 on her easy days slowly. We fell into a clip that couldn't have been much faster than 7:50 today and I found myself getting antsy, while she claimed this was quicker than she normally ran on her own. Mentally I would find this type of training challenging, but according to Camille she's made most of her breakthroughs after she decided to take her easy days really, really easy. Definitely some food for thought.

Another big training staple she advocates is iron supplements, specifically in liquid form. My roommate Tanya is big on this as well and I've been thinking for a while about taking some, but the chat with Camille was the push I finally needed to get on the ball. (Later in the morning Jordan and I picked some up at the health food store near Brookhaven and we're already well on our way to a positive life change.)

In the evening, I met Jordan at the Norman High track after he jogged there from work. He needed to do some 200m strides and I really just wanted to do some barefoot running, so I wogged a few shoeless miles on the infield while he went about his business. I capped things off with some barefoot strides before strapping the kicks back on and heading home. Have I mentioned I love running barefoot? Well, I do. Today was a near perfect blend of training and recovery, and I'll definitely take it.

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Pickard Fartlek

21 min. w/u (2.5-3 miles)
5x2 mins. on/3 mins. off
~3 mile c/d incl. 1 mile barefoot and 2x100m barefoot strides
Total: 9-9.5 miles

I put in a solid fartlek effort this morning while Jordan and Scotty tempoed. After that we trotted over to the track so they could do some three hundos. Naturally I opted to jog barefoot in the grass and stride it out while they took care of the really difficult stuff. I'm really enjoying the barefoot running and I definitely think it's strengthening my feet and lower legs. Which is a relief, because my man calves weren't quite massive enough already.

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Jordan's 2k Cutdown

2 mile w/u
Target: 2xmile @6:00-6:10; 2x400m
Actual: 5:49, 5:53, 70.7, 69.0 (!!!), 33.4 (for 200m)
2x100m barefoot strides
20 min. c/d (2.5 miles)
8-8.5 miles

Jordan had a bear of a workout on tap today, a cutdown in 400m increments from 2k all the way to 200m, so the Three Musketeers rolled up to the Norman High track around 7am in hopes of beating the heat and getting 'er done. I'd tentatively planned a pre-race workout, in case I end up going for gold in the half on Sunday, and Scotty hoped to jump in and out of Jordan's workout to provide as much help as possible. I also wanted to jump in on a few of his slower-paced intervals; Jordan helps me so frequently in workouts that I would feel bad not taking advantage of the rare occasion when I can return the favor.

Despite the fact that I wasn't supposed to dip below 6:00 on my miles, I hit the first quarter in 84 and just kept rolling. The pace felt like a jog even in the heat and humidity, so rather than fight myself the entire way I decided to just relax and roll with it. Jogging a lap in between each interval kept the workout running smoothly, and soon it was time for me to jump in with Scotty and Jordan.

I'd planned to run the last 400 of his 1200 in ~72 seconds, but somehow I miscalculated the laps. So, when they strode down the homestretch to finish their second lap, I somehow thought it was only their first; as a result, I was at least 15 meters behind the starting line before it dawned on me that my lap was coming up. Without thinking, I immediately broke into a sprint in hopes of catching them, and as a result I was approaching top speed by the time I actually "started" the lap. Did the running start help me run the interval faster? Or did the act of sprinting 420 meters instead of 400 wear me out more? It's hard to say, but at any rate my legs and lungs were burning by the final 100 meters. My second 400 went much more smoothly, as I started at the appropriate location at the appropriate time, and I finally achieved my season-long goal of breaking 70 seconds in a workout. Trust me, my knowledge of how pathetic this is does in no way diminish my joy. Sad, right? I also blazed a 200 at the end of Jordan's 600m effort and felt strong the entire way. He was beginning to labor at this point but stuck with it to finish strong. Scotty also ran well throughout, making it a solid outing for all of us.

Though my legs (and lungs) were burning after my unusually speedy session, overall I felt great. The best part was kicking off the shoes to run some barefoot strides and a barefoot cooldown mile before taking it back to Main Street. I will probably be sore tomorrow, but today's workout was definitely--dare I say it--a lot of fun.

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Double?? Who Does That?

AM: 59 mins.
8 miles
PM: 32 mins. + 4x100m strides
4.5-5 miles

Jordan and I got a late start this morning, so he only had time to run four miles before getting ready for work. Since I don't have such responsibilities, I opted to continue running and mosey up to OK Runner where I could retrieve my car once he brought it. The ~2 miles up Robinson into a stiff headwind were a real treat, as were the sweltering temps, but fortunately Jordan was waiting for me outside OK Runner with cold water and a towel. See, he can be nice sometimes.

In the evening I reaaaally didn't want to double, mostly because I was hungry (and lazy), but Jordan had promised Scotty that he would put in a few minutes with him after Scotty closed up shop at 7:00. Not wanting to sit around and be bored by myself, I reluctantly joined in, but I have to say I'm very glad I did. Not only was it cooler, less humid and less windy than 12 hours prior, but my legs felt fantastic. The boys jumped into some in-and-out laps as soon as we hit the Norman High track, but I opted to kick off my shoes and run barefoot on the Astroturf infield instead. I absolutely love the feeling of running barefoot--it always makes me feel strong and healthy--and tonight I was consciously grateful for every step. It was only a few months ago that it took me 10 excruciating minutes to put on my right shoe because my foot hurt so badly, but tonight there was absolutely no trace of my old injury. I capped things off with some barefoot strides/buildups on the football field and loved every step.

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Boomtown Half Marathon Pre-Race

21 min. w/u (~3 miles)
Target: 2xmile @6:00-6:10 w/3 mins. rest; 2x400@72-76
Actual: 5:56, 6:00, 74.4, 73.6
18 min. c/d (2+ miles)
Total: 8 miles
Wind: 16mph gusting to 22mph

Today's pre-race "workout" was a nice, relaxed session aimed at finding race pace and turning the legs over a few times. It would've been a breeze (pun intended) had it not been so, well, breezy outside. Having the wind in our face on the final turn and half of the home straight meant that it was never really at your back, but fortunately today's intervals were designed to be pretty easy regardless.

Three minutes is a considerable amount of rest when you're not particularly fatigued from the intervals in the first place (considering I ran 4xmile on Friday at a quicker pace with 1/3 of the rest), but I tried to keep it honest by following Jordan and Scotty's lead and jogging a lap between each. This meant I had less than a minute of standing around once I got back to the start line while sneaking in a bit of extra time on the feet. Also--and I realize this is sad--I was quite pleased with how relaxed I felt on the 400s, given that I haven't run a single step faster than 80-second pace since before I got injured.

Nothing but easy running on tap between now and Saturday.

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Miles at Norman High

20 min. w/u (2.5 miles)
Target: 4xmile @6:00 w/1 min. rest
Actual: 5:57, 5:55, 5:54, 5:43
22 min. c/d (~3 miles)
Total: 9-9.5 miles

Jordan, Scotty and I started at the same time (granted they were aiming to run almost a minute faster per mile than me, but who's counting) on a sunny yet fairly mild morning at the Norman High track. The breeze was a bit stiff on the homestretch but its effects on the pace were negligible, so overall it was a pretty great morning to be on the track. On paper this workout looked pretty easy...until I noticed there was only a minute rest between repeats. That would definitely kick the intensity up a notch, but I still felt confident I could hit the splits.

After coming through the first mile in 5:57 with little difficulty I could tell things would go well. In hindsight, I could've used this as an opportunity to really open up the legs and test myself, but that wasn't necessarily the objective of the workout so I resisted. Even with only a minute recovery I felt comfortable gradually squeezing down the pace per mile, and it wasn't until the last go that I decided to really push myself. My goal was to run sub-5:50, but when Jordan and Scotty joined in to tow me along the last half mile I knew I would come through much faster. That said, I was still surprised to see 5:43 on the watch without going to the well.

We finished things off with a delightful barefoot mile on the infield before putting our kicks back on and hoofing it back home. Except for a pre-race on Tuesday, this is our last workout before the half, so I'm pleased to have ended on such a positive note.

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Norman High Solo Workout

2 mile w/u
Target: 4x1.5 miles @6:05-6:15 w/2 min. rest
Actual: 9:05 (6:03 through mile), 9:08 (6:03), 9:10 (6:05), 9:02 (6:03)
1.5 mile c/d
Total: 9.5 miles

After a very restless night of sleep, exacerbated by several trains, a thunderstorm and some bizarre dreams, I awoke to our 6:45 alarm feeling slightly less than rested. Nothing appealed to me less than putting on the kicks and hitting the track a mere 30 minutes later, so I sent Jordan off to meet Scotty and immediately fell into a deep slumber. I didn't stir again until several hours later after Jordan had already returned and taken a shower, and I instantly felt a hundred times more rested than earlier in the morning. Definitely made the right choice by sleeping in. Unfortunately, this meant that I would have to bang out the workout solo after dropping Jordan off at work. So, if you happened to have been driving by Norman High School sometime between 10:30 and noon, you would've found me tearing up the track. Or something like that.

Kidding aside, this workout went pretty well. To be honest, I was thinking/hoping I could hit the miles right around 6 flat despite the paces Jeff had prescribed for me, and I believe that had the air not been fraught with moisture due to the morning's rains I would've been able to do so. It's just so hard to breathe when it's this humid, but what can you do...that's summer around here. Might as well get used to it. I consciously backed off a touch on the third interval because my breathing felt a bit ragged after #2, and the last thing I wanted was to finish off the workout via a death march. Looking at how the final interval played out, I'm glad I did.

Not much else to add here except that I was pleased to finish fastest on my last interval, and that I'm quite sure my legs will be fatigued tomorrow. This was a toughie.

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Ladder Workout

2 mile w/u
Target: 400 (82), 800 (2:50), 1200* (4:15), 1600 (6:00), 1600 (6:00), 1200 (4:15), 800 (2:50), 400 (82)
all w/60 sec. rest
*found out post-workout that the 1200 split was a typo and should've been a few seconds slower than 4:15
Actual: 78, 2:51, 4:17, 5:55, 5:54, 4:18, 2:49, 79
10 min. c/d (1+ miles)
Total: ~8.5 miles

I'm extremely pleased with how this workout went today. The splits didn't look too daunting on paper, but the rather perfunctory rest intervals didn't seem like they would provide ample recovery. In fact, as we were jogging over to Norman High this morning, I told Jordan that I might have to take a longer rest on the way back down the ladder if it looked like I was going to fall too far off the pace. Fortunately that didn't end up happening, which is what I'm most happy about.

As always, it was great to have Jordan and Scotty along for the ride. Jordan had the same workout on tap and Scotty agreed to jump in and out of his intervals, which meant that while neither of them were running with me they were still cutting shapes at the same time. If I can't have someone literally matching me stride for stride, this is the next best thing.

I wish I would've known going into the workout that 4:15 wasn't right, because I felt a bit discouraged about missing both those splits. However, the two 1600s felt absolutely great, completely relaxed and fluid. I might not have been jogging but I certainly wasn't struggling, and I felt like those two intervals served as more recovery between the shorter, faster ones. Good to know I'm able to dip below 6-minute pace again without laboring. All in all I felt like this was a huge step in the right direction.

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Norman High Track Workout

18 min. w/u (2.5 miles)
Target: (800 @3:00, 200 jog, 300 @55-58, 300 jog)x5
Actual: 26:40 for 4 miles; 800s @2:53, 2:55, 2:57, 2:57; 300s @60, 61, 62, 61
2 mile c/d
Total: 8.5 miles
Wind: 13-15mph

The workout we had on tap today was sort of an interval session within a longer run, giving it the feel of an extended fartlek or a disjointed tempo. Jordan had the same effort planned (obviously at a much faster pace), so we decided to jog over to Norman High before work this morning and get 'er done.

Though we arrived at the track just after 8:30, it was already quite warm and sunny out. It was also fairly breezy, particularly through the turn preceding the home stretch. I've decided that since I now reside in what has to be the windiest city in America, I'm going to start noting the wind speed and direction when possible along with the rest of my daily stats. That way I can have a convenient excuse at the ready whenever I bomb something.

For me, the workout today was a mixed bag. My times are certainly indicative of what I need to work on, as I breezed through the majority of the 800s but floundered miserably on the 300s. Because of the way the intervals were set up, the first 100 meters of each 300 was run directly into the wind, which didn't exactly facilitate me breaking any land speed records. The wind and the heat wore me down enough that I opted to stop after four controlled sets rather than flailing through the fifth one, but in hindsight I should've probably just slugged it out. It definitely helped having Jordan on the track with me, and even though we weren't exactly running together I still felt energized by his presence.

One positive that I'm taking away from this is I felt a hundred times more relaxed and natural than the track workout I did last week in Charlotte. I still don't have any speed in my legs, but at least today I felt like an actual runner out there instead of a clumsy, awkward imposter. At this point i've got to just keep plugging along and hoping things will fall into place sooner than later.

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