Philly Marathon Race Report

Goal #1: Run a PR (sub-2:41:06)
Goal #2: Run sub-2:40
Goal #3: Run sub-2:39
Goal #4: Place top 5
Actual: 2:39:02 (chip), 2:39:08 (gun); 4th place female (2nd American)

Going into this race, I knew that on a perfect day in ideal conditions I was primed to run between 2:37:30 and 2:38:30. This would be at least three minutes faster than I'd ever run before, but I had unwavering confidence that it was possible. Every workout I've done in the past four weeks has been better than any workout I did before the Trials--and some of those weren't too shabby. 

It wasn't a perfect day.

It rarely is.

But throughout the mental and physical roller coaster that is the marathon, I persevered. I remained positive. I showed my sisu (and a whole lot more, if you happened to be hanging around near mile 15). But first:

The trip into Philly was uneventful. Jordan and I broke up the 7-hour drive into two days, stopping Thursday night in Greenwich before finishing up on Friday afternoon. The elite athlete coordinator hooked me up with a great room at the incredibly nice Loews hotel, located about a mile from the start and finish line in the heart of downtown Philly. Friday night we met Pezz for dinner and caught up on all the Charlotte gossip. Considering she just debuted in 2:32 as the third American at Chicago and was ready to run sub-1:13 in the half, I figured any time spent with Pezz was bound to rub off on me and translate into a fast race on Sunday. 

Dinner with Pezz on Friday night. "We can have one drink, right?"

Wide awake at 6am on Saturday to catch a stunning Philadelphia sunrise.

On a perfect, crisp Saturday morning we jogged together, and I was pleased to note that my legs felt the freshest I could recall in recent memory. For the rest of the day I tried to balance spending money at Anthropologie with not expending too much energy, and after an ill-fated attempt to meet up with some Charlotte friends for dinner (90-minute wait?! Have fun with that.), I wound up at the aptly-named Marathon with Katie DiCamillo and her dad. ("We're pretty busy right now, so there's going to be a wait...of at least 10 minutes." "Um, yeah, we can handle it.") Katie, who ran a ridiculous 32:31 to place second at the Stanford Invite 10k this year (a mere two full minutes faster than my 10k PR, NBD), had planned to debut at NYC a few weeks ago. So did a lot of people. Instead, she re-routed to Philly and was aiming for a sub-2:35 clocking. I had no doubt she was capable.

I went to bed, and then I woke up, and then I got ready, and then it was 6:55. On the starting line, surrounded by friends from all different aspects of my life--Allison, Sarah, Dalena, Danielle--it almost felt like we were about to head out for a nice Sunday long run. Jordan was there, too; having long since requested an elite entry, then gotten injured, then gotten un-injured, he gamely offered to play queenmaker for the first half of the race for me and Allison. Although I would like to think I'm the kind of person who would insist on doing this thing myself, I didn't hesitate to accept his offer. (I guess I don't really know what kind of person I am.) But I've run behind him dozens of times in workouts over the years and he's never steered me wrong. Why should today be any different?

The first few miles were lightning fast. Left to my own devices I'm certain I would've gone out too aggressively; as it was, despite Jordan's plan of taking us out in 6:10 we were 6:02 through the mile. It felt like walking. The next few mile markers were off, or so I was told by Allison and Jordan. I don't wear a Garmin, and didn't today, and rather than concern myself with any miscalculations I simply focused on doing what I've done so many times before: tuck in and relax.  

We were clicking off the miles effortlessly, 5:55 to 6:00 without a second thought. After four or five miles I felt rather than saw Allison slipping quietly off the back; she'd said in advance that a half split of 1:20 was desired. We were out too fast too soon for her, and I hoped the same was not true for me. 

It felt ridiculously easy until seven or eight. I didn't know the course, willfully hadn't studied the map, and was surprised to discover that the ensuing three miles were almost entirely uphill. Until that point I'd practically been breathing out of my nose; now I found myself struggling to stay physically and emotionally composed. Not mentally composed, but emotionally. If you don't think there's a difference, then you've never truly raced a marathon.

It wasn't exactly hard, but it was no longer easy, and that worried me.

You've got a long way to go.

I pushed the negative thoughts aside; there was no other choice. I knew Jordan planned to take me through halfway, but suddenly I was desperate for more of his help. As the course wound its way back toward downtown Philly, signaling the precise demarcation between Part 1 and Part 2, I spoke for the first time in over an hour.

"Can you go farther?"

"Yes," he said.

I was instantly relieved, but apparently I should've been more specific. Five minutes later, his job executed perfectly up until that point, he was done. He had carried me this far, and now the second half--which was "half" only in the most literal of ways--was up to me.

"Nothing fancy."

A strange mantra, perhaps. But as Jordan left me--solo, in no man's land--around mile 14, those were his words that stuck with me. "Believe in yourself," he said. "I believe in you. Know that it's going to hurt."

And then: "Nothing fancy." Meaning: you don't have to trick it up right now. You don't need to do anything other than what you're doing, what you've been doing for the past 80 minutes, to transform this goal that you've been fixating on for the past six months into reality.

But I was beginning to struggle, in more ways than one. Not only was I completely by myself, entering what would already be the loneliest section of the course, but I was also in desperate need--truthfully, had been for 30 minutes--of a bathroom break. As silly as it sounds or as tempting as it is to make light of the situation, in reality that could've been a game-changer in the worst of ways. Anyone who has faced this sort of dilemma during a race or workout knows how distracting it can be at best, debilitating at worst.

So--and I don't necessarily want to celebrate this but can't in the spirit of transparency leave it out--I pulled a Paula Radcliffe. If you don't know what that means, it's probably for the best. Maybe this course of action cost me my coveted 2:38 (it most certainly cost me my gloves), but as Jordan said later, better a Paula Radcliffe than an Uta Pippig.

The next four miles were the worst. I was rudderless, completely alone and with no reliable grasp of how fast (or slow) I was running. In fact, shortly after 16 I was overtaken for the first time by another woman. She was running shoulder to shoulder with a young guy, and I instinctively latched onto him. She was Fifth Place.

Do not let them get away.

He is the new Jordan.

The girl yo-yoed 10 to 20 meters in front of us, but I stayed glued to the unnamed guy's back. At one point, somewhere around mile 20, I found my voice.

"I hope I'm not bothering you," I said, as polite and civilized as if I were tapping him on the shoulder in the middle of a crowded room. "But you're helping me more than you realize."

"Hell no," he responded, then nodded to the girl just ahead. "And don't let her get away." 

In another scenario I would've been somewhat amused and not a little bit suspicious of his seemingly abrupt shift in allegiances, but right now I was clinging to him for dear life. At 21 he accelerated and I matched him stride for stride, edging past this Fifth Place woman. Another target loomed just ahead, a woman who had been at least 100 meters ahead of me at the most recent turnaround. I passed her without hesitation, then turned to Fifth Place and gestured for her to do the same. I was now in fourth with no other women in sight.

But I was passing men, and lots of them. I didn't feel spectacular but wasn't dying either. There was no wall, only the grim resignation that the remaining minutes would not be remotely pleasant. Yet now, more than at any other point in the race, my self-talk was wholly, unequivocally positive. It was as though my brain, deprived of oxygen and taxed beyond the point of sustainable reasoning, only had room for a handful of fragmented thoughts.       

"This is my day," I told myself. I remember that moment, that realization with striking clarity.

Today is for all the people who told me I could. Today is for all the people who told me I couldn't.

Mile 25. Photo courtesy of P. Ciccarello

Since July, I've been envisioning the clock at mile 25. In all my scenarios it read between 2:30 and 2:31. Today, it flashed 2:31:40. Slower than I wanted, and with one significant uphill remaining before the final downhill push. (Not that I knew any of this in advance. Maybe I should actually do a modicum of research before tackling my next marathon course.) I didn't have much left, but I pushed as hard as I could. Five minutes. Four minutes. Three.

Just like all the previous times, I crossed the finish line with little fanfare. It's difficult to comprehend, really, how much thought and effort and work points toward one moment, one end, only for it to pass almost before you realize it's upon you.

Katie finished 15 seconds ahead of me, and Fifth Place finished in fifth place a few minutes behind me, and together we comprised the top Americans today, on this unusually weighted Philadelphia Marathon day given that NYC was canceled a mere two weeks ago. Pezz was the first familiar face I saw, and she came sprinting towards me, and it meant so much to know how sincerely she felt overjoyed at an accomplishment that paled in comparison to hers. Then Jordan was there, and I found my phone, and saw the posts and texts and calls that were already overflowing with genuine happiness for me.

It humbles me every time.

When I wrote my blog about the Trials, it felt like the the natural end. The end of a chapter, the end of a pursuit, the end of a very distinct period of my life. Today, here, this feels like a beginning. I still don't consider myself an elite runner, honestly. Maybe I never will, and maybe I never will be. But right now, in this moment, all I can think about is the future. I can't wait to run faster. It's not a "what if" or a "maybe," but when. I've done the work before, and I'll do it again, and everything from here on out is a step toward the marathon trials of 2016.

It wasn't the perfect day.

But today was perfect.
   

Receiving my fourth place award with the Philly mayor and race director.

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Philly Training: Week #2 in Review

103 miles
11 runs
15-mile "long" run
4 days in Atlanta
5 AFDs

This week wasn't quite as successful as week #1 in terms of following my prescribed training to the letter; I only earned a (self-assessed) B- for my workout progression on Wednesday, then completely missed a scheduled wave tempo and long run that were supposed to take place over the weekend. This could hardly be helped given my hectic travel and event schedule which involved me working late on Friday and Saturday and starting well before sunrise on Sunday morning, but unfortunately the marathon clock does not award bonus time for legitimate excuses. Lucky for me, Christopher Columbus managed to royally eff things up but somehow still earn Americans everywhere a much-needed day off on Monday--so I plan to travel into the city tomorrow morning and knock out my first 20-miler of the training cycle, albeit a day late, then stick around and do some Tufts 10k spectating. With no travel planned next week, I hope to get back into somewhat of a "normal" schedule and check off every possible training and recovery box.

One thing's for sure, with a bevvy of of inspiring race performances this weekend at Chicago, Twin Cities, the BAA Half and everywhere in between (special shout-out to Pezz for a mind-boggling 2:32:42 debut and top three American placing at Chicago), I'm more focused than ever on achieving my best possible race performance six weeks from now.

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Week in Review

83 miles
4 doubles
5 runs in Charlotte
1 failed workout
10 bridesmaids dresses tried on

What a terrific week! Not only did I put in some quality time on the feet with friends, but I spent the entire weekend in Charlotte and got to snuggle with Caitlin four nights in a row. I also had the honor of being the first Karhu employee to sell some of the new spring/summer 2012 Karhu shoes at retail, as they just debuted this week and were rushed to Charlotte Running Company for the Charlotte 10 Miler and 4 Mile Run. It was also super cool to see the second place male finisher and three of the top four female finishers rocking Karhu kicks at the race. The Charlotte running community has definitely embraced the brand, and I could not be more proud and honored to have played a role in that. Thank you all so much for your support!


L to R: Mo (in Craft capris), Michelle, Carolyn and Dalena. Speedy
and oh-so-stylish


Second place finisher Brad rocks his poison apple green Racers

From a training perspective, this week was largely positive. I unexpectedly succeeded in my first track workout of the season, then unexpectedly failed at what Caitlin and I thought would be a no-brainer 800-meter workout. (Our lackluster results are too embarrassing to merit a separate blog post, but feel free to read Caitlin's recap if you want to point and laugh.) Fortunately we redeemed ourselves with a quality long run on Sunday that saw appearances from over 20 of Charlotte's finest, including some of the fastest ladies I know: Stephanie "check out my new Newton contract" Pezzullo, Alana "fastest 15-year-old in the country" Hadley and Anna "was hoping to run 3:20 and ended up breaking 3 hours no problem" Donlan. At one point during the run, when the four of us found ourselves leading the charge, I remarked with all seriousness that I expect the same group to find ourselves toeing the line together at the Olympic Marathon Trials in 2016!

It goes without saying that one of the major highlights of the weekend was accompanying Caitlin for some of her pre-nuptial planning. She tried on wedding dresses Saturday and I did the same with bridesmaid dresses Sunday, all of which was accomplished with our trademark speed and sarcasm. I had no idea we'd be doing this when I booked this trip last month, but needless to say I couldn't be more thrilled that Garrett accommodated my schedule with his timely Valentine's Day proposal. It is all about me, of course, which Caitlin proved by planning a secret surprise gathering on Saturday night with some of my closest Charlotte friends and running buddies. We had a blast drinking wine, being chastised by our waitress and then closing things out with some good old-fashioned dirty dancing before calling it a night at the astonishingly late hour of 11:30. We did have a long run the next morning, after all.


What a fun night with friends!

Without question, this was one of the most enjoyable "work" trips I've taken in a long time. Thanks to everyone in Charlotte for embracing Karhu--and me!--with open arms. I can't wait to come back soon!

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McAlpine Tempo Run

2 mile w/u
Target: 5 mile tempo @5:50ish pace; 5x30 sec. surges w/1 min. jog
Actual: 29:14 (5:50, 5:56, 5:54, 5:48, 5:46); 4 min. rest; 5x30 sec. w/1 min. jog

Once more for old time's sake, I met Caitlin and Pezz at Old Bell for some good, solid tempo action. I was not solo, as my friend Dane is in town for a quick visit and I somehow managed to convince him to join us for this early workout despite his body being firmly set in Mountain time. We all rolled up to the parking lot a few minutes early, a rare enough occurrence on its own, and promptly set off into the darkness for an easy warmup. The plan was for Pezz to start a few minutes ahead of us with a hard mile followed by a few minutes of rest, then join us as we passed the mile marker and continue on together for the rest of the tempo. The mid-40s temperature felt even colder down by the creek, but we all reluctantly shed our top layers in preparation for the hard effort ahead.

After only one brief costume change, Pezz charged out of the parking lot and onto the trail for her first mile. Caitlin, Dane and I stretched and dawdled around for a few minutes before setting off in hot pursuit. The first mile felt hard, as expected for the temperature and the early hour, but miraculously we went through exactly on pace. Dane, who is fighting a bum Achilles, wisely backed off after this mile while Caitlin and I rejoined Pezz. I wasn't feeling great and was worried that the two would immediately leave me in their wake, but to my relief (not that I wish a bad workout on anyone!), neither of them seemed to be feeling stellar either. We forged ahead together. By the two mile marker Pezz and I had put a slight gap on Caitlin, and I swiveled my head around to make sure she was sticking close. I wanted to shout some words of encouragement but I was already pressing to an uncomfortable level so I kept silent. Pezz and I ran side by side through three, then almost to four, when I saw Caitlin jogging across the pond toward us. Apparently she'd taken a short rest after the third mile and was now joining us so we could finish together. Her reappearance could not have come at a better time, as I was hurting and already contemplating dropping out. Legs buoyed from a few minutes of easy jogging, Caitlin bounded to the front of our train and seemed infused with a new energy. The final few minutes were dangerously close to the redline for me as I clung to them for dear life, resolving not to let down the group on what would surely be our final workout together for some time. We finished in unison, breathing ragged but satisfied with our efforts. After a few minutes of walking (yes, walking), I felt recovered enough to stride out my uptempo sections around the pond before we trotted back to Old Bell together. Regardless of the workout's outcome, I always consider it a privilege to run side by side with these talented ladies, something I'll sorely miss in Beantown. I may have to sneak back down this winter to get in some more workouts together!

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Final Speed Loop Workout?

3.5 mile w/u
Target: 3 miles @~18 mins. (5:55-6:05); 3x400m @77-78
Actual: 17:22 (5:55, 5:45, 5:42); 75, 73-high, 73-low
3.5 mile c/d
Total: 12 miles

With only a few precious opportunities remaining to run with my Charlotte friends, I was excited at the prospect of working out with Caitlin and Pezz, who's in town for most of the autumn, early this morning. Caitlin and I are both racing Army 10 Miler on Sunday and Pezz has the Tufts 10k up in my new stomping grounds on Monday, so all of us were looking for a workout that was moderately difficult and not too high in volume. Since the above was on Caitlin's schedule from Mark Hadley, that's what we went with (except Pezz the overachiever threw in a few more reps afterward).

Also in the mix was Jordan, who isn't 100% fit but is finally 100% healthy, which makes him the perfect candidate for dragging us around the Dilworth Speed Loop. We started off conservatively, the three girls chatting about upcoming races while Jordan lagged behind, until he got frustrated with the slow pace and the conversation--he hates, hates for people to talk during workouts or races--and shot to the front. Within the span of a few meters the pace dropped significantly and the gabfest dwindled to silence. He told me after the workout that we'd run our first 1k at 6:10 pace so he wanted to bring us back down to the prescribed 5:55. To be honest, I would've been fine with starting off a bit slower, but when everyone changes gears at the same time I'm not looking to get left behind. Sure enough, we split 5:55 on the dot for mile one before hanging a left and cruising through the slight downhill section of the course. My breathing grew increasingly labored, to the point where I couldn't even muster a hello to Michelle and Thomas, whom we saw a few minutes later. I was both relieved and distressed to see a 5:45 split at the mile marker--relieved that my 10-mile race pace should not, in fact, feel this difficult, but distressed at the prospect of holding the pace for another mile. Surprisingly, I never really felt my effort increasing past that point, and though the final few minutes were tough I was able to stay with the group and finish strong. After a generous rest and an equally generous cup of water from Rebecca's porch (thanks for the Crystal Light packet too!), the 400s came and went in no time flat. Aided by the slight downhill, we were able to open up our stride and easily surpass the prescribed pace. It's the fastest/hardest I've run in months and it felt great to test the legs. Here's hoping all three of our races go just as well as this workout!

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(Down) Week in Review

61-62 miles
1 double
1 day off
3 days in ATL
4 AFDs

If ever there existed weather which necessitated a down week, we just endured it. Good grief. Last weekend's unusually mild temperatures turned out to be a sick and twisted joke, lulling us into a false sense of comfort and then BAM!--we're right back on the very threshold of hell. There was a moment on Wednesday morning just after Jordan and I had finished a sweltering, stifling "easy" run at the Chattahoochee River in Atlanta, a moment when we stood breathlessly panting next to my car while literally wringing out a deluge of sweat from our shorts, after which I looked Jordan dead in the eye and said: "Do not ever, under any circumstances, for any reason, ever let me complain about winter again. And if I do, remind me of this day."

So.

With that being said, the week's training wasn't entirely bad. Mostly that was due to the company of friends, in particular my former CRC teammate Stephanie "Pezz" Pezzullo. Pezz moved to Flagstaff about six months ago to pursue her goals as a steeplechase Olympic hopeful and has enjoyed a very promising year. Within the past month alone she qualified for the finals of the steeplechase at USATF Outdoor Nationals and finished as the one of the top Americans in both the Boilermaker 15k and the Peachtree 10k, her first road 10k ever. Lucky for me she's back in Charlotte for a visit, and it's been great to catch up with her on a few runs this weekend. If a fraction of her speed happens to rub off on me along the way I definitely won't complain.

Looking ahead to next week, there is--spoiler alert!--quite a bit of travel on my agenda. Tomorrow I'm headed to NYC for a Craft wear test run at New York Running Company and a few store visits, then Tuesday I'll train it to Boston for a few days up at Karhu and Craft HQ. I can only hope the weather will be slightly more tolerable in the Northeast or else my high mileage goal for the week might be overly ambitious. Either way I doubt that any workouts will happen until I return to Charlotte due to travel and work commitments, but I plan on bumping the miles up to "normal" again beginning tomorrow.

Speaking of Craft, I would be remiss if I didn't close out this entry by offering a shout-out to Andy and Frank Schleck and the entire Team Leopard Trek crew for an amazing performance at this year's Tour de France! I could not be more proud to have them representing our brand and showing everyone that Craft's performance apparel is truly the best in the world. Allez allez allez!

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Week in Review

85 miles
3 doubles
3 runs at McMullen
3 Great Harvest cookies

Another solid week of training in the books, including several runs with friends and a few great Karhu events. On Wednesday night I partnered with Bull City Running to host a wear test at their new social run at Fullsteam Brewery. This run is only in its fifth week and they already have over 100 participants! The venue was amazing and Jordan and I had a blast hanging out with the runners and then later spending the night with our friend Sarah the Brooks tech rep. Saturday morning after the Great Harvest race I hustled over to the beautiful new TrySports location (which is technically the same address as their old location, only a few spaces down in the shopping center) and lit up the pavement with neon orange and green Fast Rides for their morning group jaunt. I never complain when I get to run with people as part of my job requirements! And lastly, I closed out the weekend with a great--albeit sweltering--12-miler with Jenna under the shaded canopy at McMullen. We stayed up late Saturday night surviving the rapture and then watching the Oxy High Performance Meet online (congrats Pezz on your long-deserved sub-10 in the steeple!), which meant we slept in to the unprecedented (for me) hour of 9am. With the mercury already above 80 at our 10am start time I feared the worst for the run, but fortunately the relaxed pace and engaging conversation (and a few water fountain detours) kept things manageable and relatively comfortable throughout.

Looking ahead, next week will be a forced but admittedly needed down week as I travel to Boston and Portsmouth, NH for our bi-annual Karhu North America sales meeting. From there I'll train it down to Providence to rendezvous with Jordan and many of his college buds for graduation weekend and his unofficial five-year reunion. I'm looking forward to all of the week's activities but fully realize that those activities will not include very much running. However I've been hovering at 80+ mpw for several months and could use a break before my next round of racing. This time next week I hope to feel refreshed and reinvigorated and eager to ramp up the miles once again.

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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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Greek Fest 5k and Other Misadventures

AM: 3 mile w/u + strides
Target: 5k race @17:00 or faster
Actual: 17:04 (5:16, 5:37, 5:30)
Total: 6+ miles

The morning started as most race mornings do, with an early wakeup, a cup of coffee and some last-minute preparations. Jordan and I headed over to the Greek Orthodox Church around 6:30 with plenty of time to score a good parking spot, snag our race chips and wait around for our friends to arrive. I warmed up nice and easy with Paul, Billy, Brian and a few others and was relieved to note that my foot didn't hurt at all. Though it's been getting better the entire week, this was the first day when I can honestly say it felt completely normal from step one. In hindsight, that makes what transpired late in the race even more perplexing.

Back to the race start, just before 7:30 we were all lined up and ready to go. I was situated on the far left side of the median next to middle school phenom Alana Hadley and not far from a large group of CRCers. I knew that my main competition in the race would be none other than my good friend Pezz, who rarely races in Charlotte but is fresh off a 16:51 on the roads a few weeks prior. I also knew she planned to go out pretty fast, between 5:10 and 5:15, and since I doubted I could handle that pace I decided to wait and see if she would come back later in the race.


Early in the race, flanked by Cory (26) and Chad (white CRC jersey)

Sure enough, from the gun she shot out in front. For that matter, so did everyone else. The first mile is flat with some gradual downhills, so the terrain combined with the typical early race adrenaline meant that the pace was hot from the gun. I wasn't feeling all that great, but since Pezz was already a good distance ahead I figured that I must be running fairly conservatively. I was wrong. I passed through the first mile marker with the clock reading 5:16, a pace faster than I typically went out on the track this spring. Oops. Simultaneously my thoughts alternated between panic (at how quick the pace was moving), dread (at how badly it was going to hurt when I died later in the race) and wonderment (at how fast Pezz must've split the first mile--I found out later it was an eye-popping 5:02). Sure enough, a few paces later I spotted my trusty cheerleader Caitlin, who quietly informed me that Pezz had gone out too fast. (I know that she said that in hopes of encouraging me, but I also know that two seconds later she turned to our friend AJ and told him that I had also gone out too fast. Both of these were true statements.)

Predictably, I slowly started to implode during the next mile. This section contains the only moderate uphill of the entire race, and my legs were growing heavier by the second. I knew I was running much slower, but I was pretty surprised and discouraged to split 5:37 at the marker. (Side note: post-race several people mentioned that their Garmins were off from the race clock by as much as 6 seconds during the first mile, meaning that the first two splits on the course might have been incorrect. On the one hand I'm inclined to believe this because 5:37 is awfully slow, but on the other hand that means that I would've had to split the first mile closer to 5:10, which is even more improbable. Who knows.)


Running with my trusty companion Caitlin late in the race

Fortunately for me, this was the exact moment when Caitlin jumped in to help keep me company through the final mile. I'd told her before the race that I wanted to finish in the low 5:20s, but it was simply not to be. The last mile was utterly torturous, and I felt frustrated and embarrassed that Caitlin was having to drag me along at a clip that would not even break 5:30. I tried to refocus, but the first reckless mile had already sealed my fate. I was counting the seconds until our final turn back onto East Blvd., but at that point there were still 600 seemingly endless meters left until the finish. Caitlin was practically ordering me to pick up the pace but I just couldn't do it. I knew that sub-17 was tantalizingly close, but I just didn't think I could push any harder than I already was. Caitlin pulled off at the three-mile marker entreating me to pass Spada--yes, Spada was having his best race of the season and had passed me a mile or so earlier in the race, though he was coming back to me now--and I resolved to put my head down and fight the final remaining meters to the finish.

And then, inexplicably, it happened. Simply put, somewhere in those last 50 meters I felt something pop in my foot. I don't know any other way to describe it other than it felt like a pop. In that exact moment I felt no pain--too much adrenaline surging, not to mention I think my quota of pain was already maxed out in other areas of my body--but I knew instantly that the situation was not good. That is the last part of the race I remember. One second I was catching Spada, and after that I don't remember anything until 15 minutes later when I was stretched out on the table at Dr. Greenapple's tent. I'm not trying to be dramatic, nor am I claiming that I blacked out or anything like that, but I am saying that as soon as my foot popped I lost all interest in the race. I didn't even know if I had passed Spada or if I'd broken 17 minutes, though I learned later that I'd failed on both counts. All I knew was that I had seen the upcoming weeks and months of training and racing slip away in the span of a single step. I was devastated.

To wallow in my own self-pity, however, is to neglect acknowledging all the standout performances in today's race. Jordan won, though not quite in the time he was looking for. Paul, Billy, Chad, Danielle, Alice, Ben, Stan, my new friend Dean and many others ran season bests. And Pezz, with the performance of the day, notched an incredible 16:35, just as fast as she's run on the track this entire year. It looks like the Greek Fest course is worth every bit of the hype bestowed upon it. Though it may not have ended up being the best experience for me, I can guarantee that I will crack the 17-minute barrier (and, hopefully, not crack my foot) this time next year.

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Another Workout? Why Not.

AM: 3 mile w/u
Target: Caitlin's workout of 10 mins., 8, 6, 4, 2, 1 w/half rest
Actual: 10 (5:54 through mile); 8 (5:49); 6 (5:33)
2+ mile c/d
Total: 10 miles

"Wait a minute," you're telling yourself. "Didn't she just work out yesterday?" Why yes, loyal readers, yes I did. But I couldn't very well leave Caitlin and Pezz to their lonesome for this morning's pre-dawn interval session at McAlpine, now could I? So Jordan and I woke up at 5ish and were soon watching Felix's (his Jetta's) headlights illuminate our path toward Old Bell. My legs, quads in particular, were feeling heavy as bricks after yesterday's hill session, and any sort of quick movement sent waves of soreness throughout my lower body. To say I wasn't in prime workout condition would be an understatement.

However, maybe that's my new training strategy. Though I've never really practiced this philosophy before, there is something to be said for working out on back-to-back days and conditioning the body to push through on tired legs. I could see this being particularly beneficial for marathon training, for obvious reasons. So while I'm not saying I'll be making plans to do this every week, I can certainly see the potential benefits.

After a few miles of warming up and grabbing some water it was time to get down to business. As he always does, Jordan gamely joined us ladies as both a pacesetter and bodyguard. We knew the 10-minute segment would feel the longest (probably because, you know, it actually was the longest) but we also hoped it would feel the most relaxed. Sure enough, we came through the mile marker at a pace that felt not much faster than jogging. It's good to know that sub-6 feels this easy on tired legs; I can only hope I'll be able to say the same when I race the 10-miler in October. After a lengthy rest, the eight-minute segment didn't feel much more difficult. It was the six-minuter that really put me over the top. As soon as we started I could feel myself crossing the threshold from comfortable to strained, and I knew that my post-workout legs were finally begging for mercy. Even when Caitlin offered to skip the four-minute segment I still declined to join them for the final few minutes. Instead I jogged around at a much more leisurely pace and tried to stretch out a bit. Simply put, I was toasted.

But, as I said before, that was kind of the point. Further, looking back at the last time we did a similar workout, you can see that our pace today was faster even though we didn't have the first 10-minute interval last time. So today we were running faster for longer periods of time. Considering that the weather was absolutely disgusting this morning--we all agreed it felt exceptionally humid, and that's really saying something given what we're used to--that's exactly the kind of progress we were looking for. Solid work by everyone involved.

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Ugh

AM: 1 hour 40 mins. (14 miles)

This long run was disgusting. There's just no other way to describe it. The humidity and dew point were through the roof and I struggled mightily after the first half hour. I suppose it's true that misery loves company because Pezz and I seemed to be hurting in equal measure. Then again, the last time I had an abysmal long run was with her a few weeks ago so perhaps she's just a bad influence. Whatever the case, I shuffled on home up the final hill to the Boyce parking lot as though I'd just finished a marathon. Then I fell asleep on my towel on the ground while I was waiting for Jordan to finish. No, I'm not kidding. In case it weren't already scheduled, I'd say a proper nap is definitely on order for this afternoon.

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Trials of Miles

AM: 3+ mile w/u + strides
Target: 4xmile w/4 mins. rest
Actual: 5:23, 5:24, 5:23, 5:24
2 mile c/d
Total: 9.5-10 miles

Sometimes I have the unhealthy tendency to compare a workout to the best time I did the same workout. So, for example, if I'm having a solid session of 800s on the track, in the back of my mind I'm thinking about the time I ran 800s even faster. As you can imagine, this line of thinking can quickly become problematic. So this morning, knowing that it is one of the hottest days of the summer, that's it's six in the morning and that I'm running in trainers, I made a conscious decision to push thoughts of previous workouts out of my head. Specifically, the best time I ran mile repeats on the last mile of the Footlocker course was in April with Tanya, when I averaged 5:19 for six. I knew that wasn't within the realm of possibility today, but I hoped that something around 5:25 would be feasible.

After finishing up the warmup with Pezz, Jordan, Aaron and Paul, I wasn't so sure anymore. Even though it was barely light outside the air was so hot and heavy that I felt suffocated. Further, since the boys were just running easy and Pezz was doing a pre-race, I would be doing half of this workout solo. My confidence wasn't exactly skyrocketing.

With that said, the workout ended up being fine. I ran the first two solo and the final two with Pezz, and she definitely pulled me along when I was struggling through the final interval. My legs never felt particularly poppy but there were sections when I felt quite strong. Overall it was just a constant battle to keep my body temperature down, and no doubt it would've been a losing one had I attempted any more. I'll definitely take it easy the next few days before attempting a 2x3 mile session at the Blue Points 5k on Saturday.

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Terrible, Horrible, Not Good, Very Bad Run

1 hour 41 mins. (14 miles)

Wow. I felt absolutely terrible this morning. The worst part is that I have no idea why. I got plenty of sleep last night and ate a sensible dinner, not to mention the heat and humidity were much lower today than they have been in recent memory. But for whatever reason, my stomach was rocked and my legs were weak and I spent most of the run feeling dizzy/shaky/woozy. I was very poor company for Pezz, whom I met up with for the first time in several weeks, but fortunately she is rebounding from a down week and didn't complain much. I'd really hoped to take advantage of the conditions and crank out a good one but, alas, twas not to be. If there's anything positive to glean here, it's the knowledge that I can persevere and finish out a long run even when I feel abysmal from the very first step. So I've got that going for me, which is nice.

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(Another) Way Too Early Morning Workout

AM: 3+ mile w/u
Target: 6x1200m w/3 min. rest
Actual: 4:18 (2:56 through 800m); 4:04 (2:44), 3:57 (2:39), 4:00 (2:42), 3:59 (2:43), 3:59 (2:43)
2+ mile c/d
Total: 10.5-11 miles

For the second time in less than a week, we had a stellar turnout for this 6am workout. Basically it was the usual suspects from last time (myself, Caitlin, Spada, Thomas and Justin), plus a few newbies (Billy and Pezz) plus Jordan and Paul, who were apparently just along for the warmup and some easy miles. The most notable of these additions was Pezz, who would probably contend that 6pm is too early to work out, much less 6am. I had doubts that she was coming until I received a text from her at 5:45 that simply said, "I hate you."

After an easy extended warmup, a bathroom break and some last minute preparations, we were ready. Caitlin had already planned for us to run the intervals on the first 1200m of the last mile of the Footlocker course, then jog back to the starting point during our rest segments. As everyone except a delusional few are willing to admit (I'm talking to you, Jay Holder), the last mile of the Footlocker course is slightly off. Specifically, it's a few meters short from the 800m to 1200m mark, i.e. the final 400 meters of our workout distance today. We all realized this meant the times would be a little bit fast, but since the terrain includes a hill and since the workout is focused on effort and since it's the ass crack of dawn we decided not to worry too much about it.

Just before setting off on interval #1, I told Caitlin and Pezz it would be smart to ease into things. I was thinking this meant 2:50ish through the 800. Instead, we apparently fell asleep while on our feet and jogged through the marker just a few ticks shy of 3 minutes. Oops. Well, we certainly accomplished our goal of taking the first one easy. The combination of the legs waking up and me panicking slightly at the lackadaisical pace meant we kicked things into gear on #2, and from there on out the pace and effort increased noticeably. Pezz was unquestionably the all-star out there this morning, as she took off at the beginning of #3 and never looked back. I spent the last half of the workout just trying to stay close to her, which proved to be a much more motivating challenge than simply tracking the splits on a watch. Everyone was working hard and encouraging each other between intervals, which kept spirits high even when fatigue was mounting. Like I said last time, this workout was about best case scenario for 6am. If all goes to plan, we will be replicating this atmosphere with a 30-minute group tempo on Saturday morning.

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I Think I'll Go To Boston

AM: 5+ miles
15 mins. core
PM: 4 miles + 4x100m strides

This morning I departed with Jenna, Pezz and Maraya for a girls' weekend in the greater Boston area. We're all slated to compete in tomorrow night's New Balance Boston Twilight meet--Jenna and I in the 5k, Maraya and Pezz in the 1500. Maraya and Pezz both qualified for US Nationals (Pezz in the steeple and Maraya in the Junior 800) and are looking to get in a fast tune-up race. I initially planned on using this race to set a new 5k PR, but that was before I realized how completely and utterly depleted I would feel after Nationals. Plus, my left foot has still been nagging. I'm thinking it's tendonitis, and icing seems to help, but I don't expect that wearing spikes tomorrow night will do it any favors. At any rate, we set off on Friday eager to spend the weekend in the city.

Upon arriving after a pleasantly brief flight, we snagged our rental car and hit up the city for the remainder of the afternoon. Pezz grew up in nearby Narragansett but neither Maraya nor Jenna had ever been to Boston, so we spent some time downtown checking out Quincy Market and all that good stuff. Also, random side note: So we were downtown at Whole Foods grabbing some snacks for the trip. I was meandering around the bakery (naturally) when I heard a male voice calling my name. I assumed he was speaking to someone else, since I was absolutely certain no one in the city knew me, but when I looked up I was surprised to see a familiar face. Turns out a kid I lived down the hall from in the dorms my freshman year at TCU now lives in Boston and works part-time at Whole Foods. So random. I'd been in the city for all of an hour and had already been spotted by someone I hadn't seen in years.


View of the iconic Citgo sign and the Charles River in Boston

The rest of the evening was fairly tame. We headed out to the 'burbs of Waltham, where our race would be held, then changed clothes at our hotel and headed over to the track. Despite a day of travel my legs felt fairly good, no doubt due to the manageable humidity and markedly lower temperatures. I think the high today was 70 and it's expected to be 65 tomorrow. Considering the daily lows in Charlotte have been warmer than this, I'll take the New England weather any day. Hopefully this will be conducive to fast running tomorrow night.

The picture below is of Jenna icing her Achilles in the bathroom at the hotel while I took an ice bath in the tub. It makes me smile.

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Easy Like Sunday Morning

AM: 75 mins. (10 miles)
15 mins. core

Jordan and I met Jenna and the rest of the Queens national qualifiers, along with Pezz and her friend Amanda, at Boyce for a nice run this morning. With no good reason to push the pace, we kept things very relaxed. Tanya and I have our final pre-race workout tomorrow night so we want to be fresh for that. Fortunately it doesn't appear as though my legs are experiencing any soreness from yesterday, but I wouldn't rule out DOMS setting in later today.

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Super Duper Extra Long Run

2 hours 2 mins.
~17.25 miles



Saturday promised to be everything I could hope for in a weekend: brunch at Flying Biscuit, a relaxing afternoon with Jordan and my parents and a graduation party with all my OCOMM cohorts in the evening. Unfortunately there was a teeny tiny detail standing in the way of all that: my long run. Not just any long run, but a super duper extra long run. I'd have to consult the blog archives to say for sure, but I'm pretty sure I haven't run 17 miles in close to two years. I know for a fact that my longest run since last summer has been 13. Not only did Simmons prescribe this ambitious distance, but he also wanted the last three miles to be "uptempo." For me, I was pretty sure "uptempo" would mean "not passing out."

Fortunately, I had some reinforcements. Perhaps feeling guilty about skipping my graduation last night, Jordan offered to forego his scheduled speed development session and instead wake up early and accompany me on my run. I'd also enlisted Pezz to join us for the second half, and scheduling our 8am meetup at Old Bell ensured that I would hold myself accountable for a 7am start time. So despite getting less than six hour of sleep, Jordan and I were up and at 'em just after 6am. It's mornings like this that make me (and all my sane friends) question why I do this silly running thing in the first place, but there was little time for contemplation as we dressed quietly in the dark and headed out the door.

Once we arrived at McAlpine, the first half of the run passed without incident. It was quiet on the trail and still relatively cool, as the sun wouldn't start peeking out over the horizon until almost 8. Jordan and I took an unfamiliar (for me) route, opting to cross over the bridge at the .5 mile marker of the Footlocker course and continue on the bike path. (I believe it runs parallel to Independence?) The only thing of note during this section was my unsettled stomach. Perhaps a dinner of wine and spinach dip wasn't the best prerun meal after all. We made a quick detour on the way back to Old Bell and then I was good to go.

Although I was happy to pick up Pezz, the next four miles after meeting up with her were my worst of the morning. The heat and humidity were rising along with the sun, and I started to question my heavy legs and the reality of actually making the full 17 miles. Despite my hesitation, the pace naturally began to drop a bit, and by the time we reached the Footlocker course again we were clicking off sub-7's. I found my second wind somewhere around 13 miles and for the first time started to believe I could finish the run faster than I'd started. With 2.5 to go it was now or never, and I made a conscious effort to pick up the pace. Jordan and Pezz were great, offering encouragement and feedback the entire time, and though my breathing grew ragged I could feel my confidence coming back. After a disastrous workout on Thursday I needed some absolution, and this was where it would happen. I closed out the final 2.5 with splits of 6:38, 6:14, 3:00 and felt strong doing it.


I wouldn't have made it through the program without the lovely,
the sassy, the exquisite Dr. Kim Gregory!

With this albatross out of the way, the rest of the day was as fun and relaxing as I'd hoped. The highlight was definitely watching a group of grown adults, including but not limited to one of my professors and the mother of the party's hostess, throwing down a mean game of flip cup in the garage of our swanky Southpark party house. I knew there was a reason why I liked these people so much.


All spiffed up with my fellow OCOMMers

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Mile Repeat Disaster

AM: 3 miles
PM: 3 mile w/u + strides
Target: 4xmile w/4 mins. rest
Actual: 5:21, 5:19, fail, 5:19
2 mile c/d
Total: 8.5 miles

Ugh. I just didn't have it tonight. Maybe it was a combination of working all morning and cleaning the apartment all afternoon, or the fact that we didn't leave for JCSU until 7pm, or the lingering heat and humidity. Maybe I'm still not quite recovered from Stanford despite having raced a full five days ago. Or maybe it was just an off day with no underlying cause or meaning. Whatever the case, I felt terrible from the start on this one. I'd hoped to run 5:15s or faster--I mean seriously, it's four minutes rest--but in actuality I struggled to run 5:20s on the first two and then called it quits on the third after one disastrous lap. I jogged around for a bit and was able to step back in on the final interval, but all in all I still ran slower than I did for six intervals on the trail in the middle of the day a few weeks ago. Not what I was hoping for. Making things better yet worse at the same time, it seemed as though everyone else--Tanya, Pezz, Jenna, Futsum and Mike--were having absolutely stellar efforts. I, on the other hand, could not have been more relieved to finish up. Hopefully I can recover tomorrow because I've got a monster long run on Saturday. With my parents in town and graduation festivities all evening, an early bedtime and staying off the feet is not looking too likely, but I suppose one can hope.

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Attack of the Killer Gnats

AM: 58 mins.
8 miles
PM: Travel

Today is a new day. When I woke up I resolved to shut down my pity party and change my attitude for the rest of the trip. A bad race is simply that, a bad race. Life goes on.

Though Sunday is traditionally a long run day, Coach Simmons wanted us to keep this jaunt extremely easy and short. Recovery was more important than gaining fitness from a longer run, and we needed to get showered and packed up in order to head to the airport on time. We set out for the same place we did our Sunday run last time we were here, a dirt trail in the marshlands just off the bay. Tanya and I had liked it because it was completely flat and simple to navigate, so we brought Pezz and Sean along with us this time.

Today we found the trail to be just as agreeable as last time, save for one minor difference: gnats. Lots of them. Tons of them. A veritable swarm of them. The first mile of our run we felt like we were in the midst of some sort of plague. Fortunately I wore sunglasses, which kept them out of my eyes, but my nose and mouth and ears were fair game. Every time I wiped my brow I murdered an entire extended family of the little pests. We were thisclose to turning around and abandoning our effort--with absolutely no Plan B in mind--but we passed a woman walking with her husband who noticed our choking and gasping and assured us that things got better "just around the corner." Clearly we have different conceptions of distance because it was at least another half mile until the little bastards relented. This was hands down one of the grossest running experiences of my life--and the worst part was, we knew they would be waiting for us in the same spot on our return trip. My legs felt pretty crappy on the run, but that paled in comparison to the Hitchcock-ian terror that we had to endure. Needless to say, we all took extra long showers after this one.

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Palo Alto Down Time

AM: 5 miles
PM: 3 miles incl. 2x60 secs., 2x30 secs.
2 laps jog the curves, stride the straights

Typically when we travel to meets we arrive the day before, particularly when traveling out west. Since Payton Jordan is a Saturday only meet, our Thursday arrival meant we had an entire day--almost two, since our race isn't until late Saturday night--of down time before racing. Today was that day.

I started things off with a relaxed AM run from the motel with Pezz. Yes, I said motel. To call it a hotel would be doing a disservice to fine establishments everywhere, but that's a whole different story. At any rate, the morning run was relaxed and enjoyable. A few minutes after the run, Pezz took a call from Allison Grace, one of the Zap Fitness athletes who was also in town for the race. The Zappos were headed to a late brunch at Hobee's, a Palo Alto institution, so Pezz and I decided to tag along. Everyone knows breakfast is my favorite meal, and I wasn't about to pass up an opportunity for some tasty deliciousness. I was quickly realizing there are some benefits to not racing the day after our arrival.

After a few hours of relaxing (and trying to dissolve the blueberry coffee cake that was sitting like an anvil in my stomach), we headed over to the track for our afternoon shakeout. The stadium was hopping with athletes getting in their pre-race prep, and we spent a few extra minutes soaking up the buzz. The energy around here is truly contagious. I found myself getting excited for tomorrow night for the first time since I got here.

Here's the thing though. The fields are stacked. Galen Rupp is going for a new American Record in the men's 10k. In the women's 5k, Olympians Shalane Flanagan, Amy Yoder-Begley and Shannon Rowbury will be duking it out with current NCAA 10k record holder Lisa Koll (who ran 31:18 at the first Stanford meet in March). And so on and so forth throughout the meet. While my race isn't the headliner of the night, there are several girls who are more than capable of running under 32 minutes. The field is populated with about an equal mix of professionals and D1 standouts; the only D2ers in the race are Tanya, myself, Sarah Porter from Western Washington and one Adams State girl. In short, I need to run the race of my life. No scratch that; it is very possible that I could indeed run the race of my life, break 34 minutes and still be very near the back of the pack. I find this prospect equal parts intimidating and exciting. If I run smart and tough, I should be able to latch onto a few people and get carried along to a big PR. That's the plan.

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