Sports-related thoughts in my head these days....

As previously discussed, I want this blog to be about all sports, and not just an extended running log.  However I have noticed that for some reason a lot of people seem to be reading it, so I may add in shorter posts of my easy runs, as well - as opposed to only blogging about long runs, workouts, and races.  I also wanted to write a review of what's going on with the Panthers - why they suck, why John Fox will be gone after this year, and what the future may hold - but it's going to take some time because I don't want it to be a brief note that doesn't really say anything.

With that being said, I do have a few sports-related thoughts in my head that I'd be glad to pass along...

• Boy, was I wrong about the Yankees wearing out the Texas Rangers.  It could not have been more the other-way-around.  I think I heard that Texas hit over .300 for the Series.  I knew the Yankees were having problems with their pitching, but I must admit that I didn't think the Rangers were really this good.  But still, the Rays should be in the World Series..
• This post may be ill-timed because the Giants wore him out last night, but I'm really starting to like Cliff Lee.  I read a feature article about him in the USA Today that mentioned how he and his wife were once afraid they could lose their child to leukemia, but the boy is now healthy.  I suppose an experience like that will foster the "eerie calm" for which Lee is so fondly known. 
• As for the Carolina Panthers, the airwaves on WFNZ were buzzing this morning with news that linebackers Jon Beason and Thomas Davis have declared that the team feels they can turn things around and really make a run this season.  Chris McClain and Jim Celania asked for listeners to call in and explain how that could possibly happen.  I didn't call in but here's my two cents:  (1) Right tackle Jeff Otah needs to come back 100% healthy.  Everyone says, "it's not about one man," and it isn't, but right now the offensive line is one of the Panthers' biggest weaknesses, and with Otah back, it can become a strength.  The man is a beast on the right side and his presence could open up the running game, which in turn will (2) further open up the passing game.  David Gettis had a breakout game last week and Brandon LaFell is playing better, too.  If those guys keep it up then we can make opposing teams pay for focusing too much attention on Steve Smith, who (3) needs to be able to continue returning punts because we have to do whatever we can to get him the ball.  (4) Matt Moore needs to play as well as he did at the end of '09 and in last week's game against the 49ers, and (5) it wouldn't hurt if they could get Armanti Edwards more involved, if only to confuse the other team a few times a game.  That may sound like a lot of things, but they are all possible.  The team always plays well later in the season under Fox, and the defense has been solid. 
• When the Pittsburgh Steelers win another Super Bowl this year, they will have a whopping seven in franchise history, two more than the 49ers and Cowboys, who are tied for second.  More importantly, Ben Roethlisberger will have more Super Bowl rings (three) than rape accusations (two).  That can only be a good thing.




Hide ya wife, hide ya kids...and hide your head coaches too because he rapin' everybody up in here.


• Once Game 1 of the Series became one-sided I was able to switch over to the Bulls-Thunder game, the season opener for each team.  Wow, the Thunder are fun to watch!  Others may disagree but I love the chemistry these guys have; it's clear they all get along and the way they always know how to find a teammate on the court is just a treat for the eyes....and then there's Kevin Durant.  'Nuff said.
• I haven't had a chance to watch the Miami Heat yet, but you'll likely know when I do.

That's it for now.

A failed effort

Hello, Charlotte. I'm "fall weather." Have we met? It was 85 and humid this afternoon as I set out to do a ten-mile tempo run, which was probably a bit much for what was supposed to be my cutback week.

I ran a one-mile loop through Old Bell and came through in 6:36, which was a little too fast. I slowed down a little bit and shortly began to wonder if I'd be able to complete this workout. Nothing was hurting but I felt completely wiped out - probably a combination of the sudden increase in temperature and me being a little weary from last week. I slowed way down in mile #4 and eventually just stopped. I took 3 minutes to rest and decided to head back to the Sardis lot, essentially making this a 2x4-mile workout instead of a tempo run.

Again, I had to stop. I just didn't have anything in the tank. I ran a little over 2 miles in the second set before calling it quits. I was at least able to keep the average pace under 7 minutes, so the workout was not a total flop, but I definitely made sure I got plenty of rest and ate massive quantities of food when I got home.

Later on, someone asked if I was upset about the run because I was "behaving poorly." I didn't feel like I was upset but I suppose it's frustrating when things don't go according to plan. No matter; I'll get back out there soon enough.

Freedom Park recovery

After taking yesterday off I set out to do a short shuffle to loosen things up a bit. My legs don't feel too beat up after the 20 miler, but I do feel pretty exhausted in general. I ran from Freedom Park all over Dilworth, including part of the Booty Loop.

I spoke to some of my teammates from college and determined that we went over 60 miles in a given week several times during the season but never did more than 70. Two of these guys - Painter and B McCandless - are running the Marine Corps Marathon in DC this Sunday, so best of luck to those dudes.

Reviewing my highest week of mileage - ever?

I ran just over 60 miles last week.  I tried to find my running logs from high school but could not locate them.  I'm pretty sure I never hit more than 55 miles in a given week in high school.  I may have topped 60 in a week or two in buidling mileage for college cross country season, but I'm not sure.  My college coach put us through some intense workouts and conditioning programs but didn't really believe in high mileage.  Either way, this past week was by far my highest mileage total since I "un-retired." 

I ran my Freedom Park/Little Sugar Creek greenway route on Tuesday and felt great; it was tough to make myself slow down.  Including my warmup and cooldown miles I logged just under 10 for Wednesday, which is the day I always do my workouts.  I ran very well in a 2x3-mile workout in pouring rain and felt fresh enough to try a third set; I didn't do so only because of time constraints.  Thursday morning I once again attempted to run a slow 8 miles and instead ended up running 7:13 pace.  Anything under 7:30 is starting to get more and more comfortable. 

Friday, I ran a hilly route all over uptown Charlotte for a total of about 7, and then did an easy 5 on Saturday morning.  Several days of hard running, minimal sleep, weaker dieting than usual, and a few other factors finally caught up to me and I felt pretty drained before setting out do my twenty-mile run on Sunday.  I labored through it and completed the mileage at 7:45 pace, including some sub-7:20 miles, but it didn't feel as good as my 18-miler had the week before. 

In the afternoon and days following that long run, I took care to stretch the ankles and achilles tendons a good bit.  Otherwise, though, I'm pleased to report that there are no major aches or pains here - just a weary runner who is due for a cutback week.

The Loneliest Two-Plus Hours of My Life

I had a lot going on this past week, and it affected my weekend long run.  I had the option of running with Brandon Hillis Saturday morning but was afraid I'd be cranky and miserable later that day so I declined.  Since I had a late Saturday night, I'd have to do my run mid-morning Sunday.  Eggers hates running in the morning, which I find odd since all the races are in the morning; nevertheless, I'd have to do my longest run ever by myself.

I was going to run this course and this course back-to-back and would have to add another 0.3 miles to make it an even 20.  Those courses have odd mileage because in previous excursions I have just let the legs explore and mapped the route afterward.  This would all be much easier if I had a GPS watch, but I'm still undecided about that potential purchase.  Between the two runs I would take on gel and water.

I was capping a week in which I had already run 40 miles, worked my tail off, and gone out several times, so I was a little tired, to say the least.  I limped up Randolph Road before my legs obediently fell into stride and started to feel better.  I hadn't thought about it but I soon realized that I had chosen a very hilly route for a 20-mile run.  No matter; I felt fine and enjoyed the scenery as I wound through the affluent Myers Park neighborhoods and past the country club.  I made my way toward Freedom Park and, other than having a confrontation with a motorist who ran a stop sign and almost hit me, I was enjoying myself. 

Back at home, I quickly took some gel and water and ditched my shirt.  I wrapped another gel packet up in a paper towel and affixed it inside my shorts before setting off to run the final 10-plus.   About a mile down the road I realized the whole gel-in-the-shorts idea just wasn't going to work, and so after a few awkward moments I decided I'd just have to carry the damn stuff.  My stomach bothered me some after taking the second gel packet, which is what I had been told would happen, and I had to stop for a bit at Freedom Park.  (What?  Is that "too much information"?  This is a running blog.  -It happens.  Literally.)  The idea behind training with the stuff is so I'll get used to it and it won't bother me on race day.  I think this paragraph is a nice way of explaining that distance running can be a little uncomfortable sometimes....

Anyway, this little 10.4-mile beauty is one of my favorite runs, as it traverses through some lovely neighborhoods in addition to the park, which is always buzzing on sunny Sunday afternoons, and then down the new part of the Little Sugar Creek greenway.  So the scenery made the miles a little easier.  What made everything harder was having to basically run circles around my building when I got home in order to hit the 20-mile mark.  I had still felt great with less than a mile to go but hit a wall shortly thereafter.

All things considered - and there were a lot of things to consider - I think this was a very solid run.  One must have a good bit of mental toughness to do twenty miles alone, or so I'm told.  I enjoyed it.  (Well, most of it, at least.)

Tough workout in the rain

A little over a month ago, I headed over to Old Bell to do some hills.  I mapped out a 1.4-mile loop over several steep, rolling hills and decided to do it five times consecutively for a total of seven miles, non-stop.  Before this workout I figured 7:15 mile pace would be doable and came very close to hitting that target time through four of the five loops.  With a five month difference in my training and a thirty-five degree difference in temperature, I decided to give this workout another go to see how much faster I could run it.

I slept in til about 8 today and awoke to notice the rain was coming down a bit.  I wasn't so sure I wanted to go flying up and down a bunch of hills on wet pavement in a pair of shoes that weren't exactly brand new.  I was really in the mindset of running the hills but decided that "Plan B" would be a repeat of a 2x3-mile workout I had also done a month earlier. 

I parked at the Sardis/Old Bell lot and headed out for a three-mile warmup on the greenway.  Right after I turned around the skies opened up and gave me a pretty steady rain.  After a minute of thought I decided to forget about Old Bell, and I headed towards McAlpine to do the 2x3 on the 5k course.  I did this workout about a month ago in my parents' neighborhood and bombed.  I wanted another crack at it.  The Lake Park surface was flatter than the 5k course, which features a steep hill in mile two, but it was also 90-plus degrees when I did that workout. 

I have been having some trouble pacing myself in recent workouts; I think that's the last thing that comes back when one has been away from heavy training for awhile.  I decided that solving that problem would take priority over actually running a fast time.  I aimed for 6:30 mile pace and with the rain coming down I headed out in what I estimated to be a pretty slow start, so when I came through the half mile and saw "3:09," I slowed down some.  I hit 6:29 for mile one, 6:36 for the hill mile, and 6:23 for the last mile for a total time of 19:28 - almost exactly 6:30 pace!  I felt pretty fresh as I took three minutes to rest (jogging around and stretching a bit) and headed back to the starting line.  I wanted to go faster on this one so when I reached the half and saw "3:07" I didn't slow down this time.  I hit 6:18 for mile one and held on for a 6:31 on the hill mile and slowly picked up the pace for my final mile.  When I came around the lake I picked it up again and about 300 meters from the finish I really took off.  I finished the second 3-mile set in a time of 18:57 after running 6:09 in the final mile.  I really wish I knew what my last half mile was but I failed to check the watch at that point.  I felt like I could have slogged through a third set after longer rest, but since I had slept in until 8 I really needed to get home and do some work. 

Between the warmup and cooldown I logged just under 10 miles for the day, putting me over 20 for the week after just two days.  I'm planning to do an easy 7 or 8 tomorrow and likely the same on Friday, and then I have a 20-miler this weekend, so this is shaping up to be my highest week of mileage ever.

First CRC event - the Halloween party!

I recently joined the Charlotte Running Club as a way to re-assimilate myself into the local running community.  I realized this was a good idea as soon as I registered as I received a few e-mails giving me lists of every member in the club - several of whom I had made acquaintances with over the years - and of each fall marathon and which members were doing it.  I also exchanged several e-mails with co-founder Aaron Linz and found quick responses to my questions, which ranged from ideas about workout sites to reconnaissance for racing competition.  Finally, I also received a message from the chair of the "social committee" informing me that there is a monthly social gathering in the club and that October's gathering would of course be a Halloween party.

There is a marathon the weekend of Halloween - Philly, I believe - so the party would be held two weeks early.  For some reason I always dread Halloween, yet I always have a blast every time I manage to land a decent costume.  One year I was a gorilla and yes, I was running around on all fours growling at people and beating my chest.  Last year I was "Slimer" from Ghostbusters and yes, I left a trail of green slime (water-based paint that washed out easily) all over uptown/downtown/funkytown Charlotte.  My best friend Zak, who is about my size, told me he had a Batman costume that he would be willing to let me borrow, so I decided to check out the CRC "social."

I was well-aware that I was about to show up at this party knowing absolutely no one.  I have some friends who are technically members of the club but they aren't active.  I know Ben Hovis and John Compton but they are really just acquaintances.  However, I have spent enough time around runners over the years to know they are generally the most easy-going people in the world, so I was 100% confident I would somehow have a good time. 

I showed up around 10 or so and made a point to introduce myself to a few people before I put my Batman mask on.  One guy was dressed as a 1920's-era gangster and fired his fake gun at me several times before joking that the bullets just didn't work on Batman.  I recognized Caitlin Chrisman because I read her blog so I introduced myself and told her I was excited about getting to meet some of the people in the club.  Caitlin ran her first marathon recently, in Minneapolis I believe, and apparently qualified for the Olympic trials.  Wow.





I'm Batman!!  John Compton is a smelly pirate hooker.

 Compton was the only person there that I knew and he left about ten minutes after I got there, saying something about being tired from the morning's race.  He finished third in his 15k debut, the last race of the year in the Grand Prix series, which I plan to compete in next year if things go according to plan.  I met a guy named Billy Shue and another guy named Brian McMahon, both of whom are apparently very fast as well.  Billy and I talked at length about marathon training and made tentative plans to do some long runs together at some point.  He finished fifth in the Charlotte race last year and seems to have improved a good bit.  I think we can declare him one of the favorites to win it, folks. 
I met the "head of the social committee," Emily Barrett, and several of her friends and basically just had a blast getting to know everyone.  I did spend a good bit of time trying to figure out who-runs-what because, again, I didn't know any of these people yet and what else was I going to talk about?  All in all I was really impressed with how friendly everybody was and it's safe to say I have found myself in the midst of an awesome group of people.

A few more pics...

"Dora the Explorer" a.k.a. Emily Barrett, the CRC social chair....and a smiling
Billy Shue in the background.

The Dark Knight enjoyed mixing it up with various Tom Cruise characters.

Shaking Hands and Smiling at Babies

After last week's 16-miler I decided to go back to smarter preparation for some of these long runs.  With that in mind, I went to the local Teeter Friday night in search of a healthy late-night meal because I had nothing in the fridge.  After walking around for about ten minutes in a confused and agitated state, I left for the local watering hole, where I ate six spicy chicken wings and drank about five beers.  Oops.  The next day I rolled out of bed at 5:45 a.m. to meet Mike Oelz and David Brinkley for what would soon be my longest run ever - 18 miles.

We came up with a good plan to take on Gu gel and water during this run.  I parked my car at Trader Joe's next to the greenway and waited for Oelz to pick me up.  We loaded my ride with water and gel and drove over to the Highway 51 entrance to the McMullen Greenway, where Brinkley was waiting.  It was still pretty dark and cold.  I was rocking a dry-fit long-sleeved shirt and a pair of Patrick Mannelly's Duke football shorts over my short running shorts.  We planned to run past my car and pick up about 12 miles before taking the Gu and water and finishing the final six.  The greenway was crowded as usual and Brinkley took it upon himself to shout, "Good Morning!" at every single runner, walker, and baby jogger we passed.  After awhile we noticed people stopped saying it back and Brinkley joked that we had crossed over into the more snooty section of the greenway.  Yes, the property value creeps up a bit as ya get closer to Rea Road. 

We were logging well under 8-minute pace per mile as we ran past my car and to the end of the greenway, then darted through some of the Piper Glen neighborhoods, down 51, and back up Rea.  In order to hit 12 miles by the time we got back to my car we realized we needed to improvise, so we wound through Piper Glen and eventually found ourselves on the golf course.  The three amigos got in some good, steep, up-and-down hill running and even jogged down a few fairways (Fore!!!!).  We were all feeling good and I was extremely thankful to have David and Mike around after last week's dreadful solo long run.  I made a mental note to not do any more long runs by myself.

We got back to the car and I stripped down to my running shorts as we all took some gel and water, then hopped back on the greenway and proceeded to pick up the pace.  Brinkley, he of the almighty Garmin watch, shouted out that we were running 7:20 pace at one point, which led to some loud grumbling amongst the crowd.  Rabble!  Rabble rabble!  I tried to calm everyone down, saying that it was awesome we didn't realize we were going that fast and everyone agreed it was a good sign.  With a little over three miles to go I got fussed at for picking up the pace, but I was feeling good, and David stayed right with me.  I was waiting for my body to hit a wall but it never happened.  I felt fantastic.  Regardless of what happens from here on out I know I'll look back on today's long run as one of the better moments in my training.  It was a nice confidence booster after having a crappy long run and a blown workout in my recent memory.

I accidentally zeroed my watch at one point but David was kind enough to e-mail me our mile splits, which went as follows:  7 minutes 53 seconds, 748, 747, 750, 743, 743, 742, 738, 800, 817, 755 (these were on the hilly golf course), 741, 744, 739 (I'm getting tired just typing this), 720, 717, 707, and 701.  It's a great feeling to see those negative splits at the end.  A 7:01 mile at the end of an 18-mile run?  I'll take it.  Maybe I should do the beer-and-wings combo the night before the marathon?  In all seriousness I at least made sure to do the right thing after this run by drinking plenty of water, taking exra time to stretch, and devouring a huge breakfast before I took a nap.

Hopefully today's run is a positive sign of things to come.  We shall soon find out!

Time to Catch Up

I haven't gotten sick of blogging and I sure as hell haven't quit running already.  I've had a lot going on lately, and it's time to catch all 7 of my followers up on things (there are probably a lot more people who read this given that I link it via Twitter and Facebook, at least I hope so).  I will retro-post details of the last couple long runs and what not as well as a couple other things that I did recently, so check back for those underneath this post.

R.I.P. 2010 Tampa Bay Rays

After completing a 162-game season in baseball's toughest division by finishing with the best record in the majors, the Tampa Bay Rays are done, having been eliminated by some team from Texas that had never even won a postseason series.  I can't be too upset because the starting pitching had been weak coming into the playoffs and there is no way this team would have beaten the Phillies, anyway - but still, the Texas Rangers?!?  Are you !#%&@* kidding me?  I walked into a bar last night just in time to watch the Yankees erase a 5-1 deficit against these Rangers with such authority that former player and majority owner Nolan Ryan looked as if someone had just forced him to eat his own vomit.  Watching Texas roll over against the Yankees is not going to ease my Rays pain.



I don't have a snarky comment to do this photo justice.  It stands on its own.  Courtesy of Bill Simmons' twitter feed; it's obvious he just took a picture of his television set.

The Rays were built to beat the Yankees and the Red Sox, and they did, but they couldn't solve Rangers ace Cliff Lee, and ultimately that's all that mattered.  Luckily the end of baseball season will always coincide with the middle of football season and the impending arrival of basketball season.  That will make things easier, but following a baseball team is tough.  162 games in the books and they look like the real deal all year, then suddenly they flame out against a team from Texas, of all places (I'm not a big fan of the Texas sports teams, if you can tell.  The state itself is fine; I've been there a couple times).

Someone told me the other day not to worry about it because there are more important things in life than sports.  Isn't the main reason sports are so important simply because they are not important at all?  The Rays are a distant third behind Duke basketball and the Carolina Panthers in my heart, but they are here to stay and we'll see what happens next year!

3x2-mile in disorderly fashion

After last week's workout I really wanted to do something shorter and faster to try to pick up some footspeed.  I'm not really sure this would help for a marathon but I wanted to at least try to push the pain threshold.  I talked to Daniel Eggers, who is starting to seem like my coach, and we came up with a plan to do three two-mile repeats with about three minutes rest in between.  I would have to do this workout by myself and I headed over to McAlpine around noon (that's right, noon - I love my job) to see what would happen.

Once again, I wanted to push the pain, so I would need to go fast on this one.  Eggers warned me not to start out too fast in case it caused me to "bonk" the rest of the workout.  Completely ignoring that advice, I tore down the greenway like I was trying to run a personal-best 5k.  I came through the quarter in 5:25 mile pace and for some reason it didn't click that I needed to, uh, slow the hell down.  I came through the half at virtually that same pace and eventually had to slow way down to hit 6:02 for the first mile, which was about thirty seconds faster than I had planned to run.  I'm not exactly sure why I was so excited, but after holding on for a 12:35 two-mile split I completely faded to a 13:56 (13:56!!) on the second set.  I regrouped somewhat on the final set, running a 6:11 first mile and hanging on for sub-7 on the tail end of the last two-mile interval.  In other words, this was a typical workout for me:  I started out too fast, completely fell asleep in the middle set, and finished somewhat strong.

At least I pushed myself for part of it and I know that I still have some of that turnover in my legs.  While it was very poor execution, I must say I had a blast on that first mile.

Reunion Time, Part Two

If you have been following this blog from the beginning then you know that I lost a close friend earlier this year.  Losing a loved one is always rough but I am pleased to say that I have developed a pretty close bond with his friends and family since that time.  I always felt like his was a second family to me anyway but it's nice to see people looking out for one another the way we have.  We all live in different parts of the country but social media and frequent cell phone contact have allowed us to stay in touch in a neat way.  I got to spend some time with them this past weekend.

Taylor's sister married her college sweetheart, who is the long snapper for the Chicago Bears (for you non-football types, that means he snaps the ball and then blocks on field goals, extra points, and punts - a pretty important job) .  Patrick recently broke the team record for most games played in franchise history.  First of all, that is just awesome.  I'd also like to add that he texted me the day before the game asking for directions to Charlotte's version of Whole Foods (which I figured would be Earth Fare).  I told him where to go and he responded a few hours later, "Nevermind, there's a Chic-fil-a right across the street from the team's hotel."  You just...ok.  I recalled a funny story Taylor had told me about driving well over an hour away from Chicago in search of a Chic-fil-a and then finally finding one across the Wisconsin border.  People really love that place, I guess.  Anyway, if you're reading this and have aspirations of becoming the best long snapper in the NFL, just start eating Chic-fil-a the day before your games.  That should do the trick.



"COACH SAYS WE CAN GO TO CHIC-FIL-A AFTER THE GAME!!"

I met Tommy and Olivia for a few drinks the night before the game and we all agreed to get together at a tailgate spot the next day.  As usual, Tamara was spot-on with a great parking spot, tons of food, and of course the game tickets for everyone.  I enjoyed catching up with them and also with Travis and their mother.  Tommy and I were cranking out the inappropriate jokes at an alarming rate, as always.  Tommy John III is one of my all-time favorite people.  He is an athletic trainer who specializes in nutrition-based performance and is also studying to be a chiropractor.  The link to his business facebook page is at the upper left of this blog.

The Bears crushed the Panthers 23-6 and Patrick was #65 on the field but #1 in our hearts.

[EDITOR'S NOTE:  The author has been ordered to stop boring everyone to death with running posts and give us his opinion on what exactly has happened to his beloved Panthers, who are 0-5 as of this posting.  He whined about that being a lengthy topic and needing more time but assured that he would deliver, so stay tuned.]

Reunion Time

Well, it's hard to believe but it has been 10 years since I graduated from high school.  I attended Charlotte Christian in my younger days and was part of an 87-person graduating class - pretty big for our school but tiny by comparison to Charlotte's huge 4A public schools.  I enjoyed my time at Christian; for such a small school we were always very good at most sports, and I made some lasting friendships there.  I found out a few months ago that no one was planning our class reunion so naturally I just decided to do it myself.  I like challenges, especially ones that involve bringing people together, so this fit the bill.  Besides, I was Student Body Vice President (my late buddy Taylor was President) so I had a duty to fulfill!

The Class of 2000 has always been considered "close" in a sense that we could all get along and there weren't really any cliques, which was rare for any high school.  I had probably maintained contact with about five of my classmates but was looking forward to seeing who would show up and talking to everyone.

I picked Rooster's for our dinner destination and thanks to some help from my friend Dee, the GM, and my buddy Bo, the event planner, we had an awesome mix of barbecue, ribs, chicken, spinach, salad, and all sorts of other stuff.  They put together a buffet-style menu for us.  Josh Holland is my closest friend from the class so I sat next to him and his wife, who is also a runner.  Josh accidentally left without paying, which I found hilarious (he came back, of course).  I particularly enjoyed catching up with Mike Booe, who now lives in Hollywood and does set decoration for shows such as True Blood and No Ordinary Family.  The turnout wasn't as good as expected but nearly everyone who came had a spouse, so the count was doubled.



Not pictured:  Josh and Beth Holland, who were fleeing the scene in an attempt to avoid paying their bill.  Photo courtesy of Jon Grey (far right).

 This was the night of my 16-mile long run and I could barely stand up.  I also ate about ten plates of food.  Thanks to everyone who made it, and let's do it again in another ten years!

You mean I have to do this....plus another 10.2 miles?

I graduated from Charlotte Christian in 2000, which means I've come upon my ten-year reunion.  I had planned to attend the reunion breakfast at the school and then do my long run all over campus and the Boyce/McAlpine trails behind the school.  The plan called for 16 miles, which would be my longest run ever. 

First of all, I didn't plan very well for this run.  I was going to run at 6am and then just hope the breakfast would be plentiful and good, but I slept in, meaning I would have to eat but wouldn't be able to eat too much.  They gave us some bagels, fruit, and juice and talked about what all was going on in the school these days.  The main gig for the reunion would be the Saturday night dinner, but being that I was in charge of ours I felt obligated to attend the breakfast as well.

I didn't have much on the stomach and it was about 11:00 a.m. by the time I set out to do my 16.  I ran around campus and up Sardis Road for a bit before hopping on the trails at Boyce Park.  I wanted to run from there to Harris Boulevard and back, then take on some water and possibly another bagel before I finished the run.  I felt pretty good as I had logged roughly 10 miles at better than 8:00 pace before I made it back to the car, but the way I destroyed the bagel and water told me that maybe I was a little undernourished.

With about 6 miles left, I jogged down the road and hopped back on the greenway at the Sardis/Old Bell entrance.  There were a lot of runners out, which usually got me pretty fired up.  I was still feeling great as I headed toward McAlpine Park and even entertained ideas of dropping the pace down a few notches at the end.  Then, with a little over two to go, it hit me.  I felt like my body somehow realized it had never been this far before - ever - and it started breaking down.  I hunched over a little bit, started breathing heavier, lost control of my arms in stride somewhat - I even stumbled off the path at one point and almost fell down.  I made my way back to the Old Bell lot and panicked when I remembered my car wasn't there.  I would have to run uphill on Sardis to get back to it.  Off in the distance I saw what looked like a cute figure with a ponytail waving back-and-forth, so I tried to speed up.  Who was this girl?  Was she even there, or was I now hallucinating?  Maybe she would have water!!  When I finally caught the girl, she was not, in fact, waiting for me with open arms and a platter of Gatorade.  In fact, she was probably comtemplating whether or not to call a medic when I huffed-and-puffed my way past her. 

I got halfway up the hill and into the CCS parking lot and just stopped.  I couldn't move anymore.  I had finished my 16 - barely - but this run was a reality check that I needed to stop being proud of myself for getting back in shape and start taking this seriously again.  I also decided that I was going to start taking some form of power gel and some water in the middle of my long runs.  I can't eat much right before I run, of course, but I figured a good-sized meal the night before a long run, even late at night, would be in order as well. 

I have built up from 8 to 10 to 12 to 14 (did that twice) to 16 miles for my long runs and seem to breaking a barrier every time.  When I get past the point that was previously my longest run, I start to tighten up, but it was much worse today.  Oh well, this run will soon be a distant memory as I have 18 on the schedule a week away.

Hopefully it will go much better than this one!

Re-visiting the tempo run

The idea today was to do an 8-mile tempo run on the McAlpine Greenway from the Sardis lot to Harris Blvd. and back.  Out-and-backs can be boring but this was a good route for a tempo run because all the miles are clearly marked and the terrain is predictable.  I met up with Daniel Eggers, David Brinkley, and Mike Oelz.  This was the first time all four of us had run together since we began our training.  We decided to run the first four miles at 6:45 pace, bump it down to about 6:30 after that, and then just do what we could for the end of the workout. 
This was going to be a very important workout for me.  I've had some time to think about the Komen race and determined that my poor strategy mirrored my recent workouts - I started out great, faded badly in the middle, and finished strong.  I was determined to figure out how to pace myself better and trying to run the same pace for 8 miles would be a great way to do that.

We were right around 6:38-6:40 pace for the first four miles and I was feeling great.  I ran with Eggers and Brinkley for a bit in mile #5 before surging ahead.  I ran about 6:18 for the 5th mile, the one in which I was worried about fading.  That would prove to be my fastest mile.  Eggers took control with about 2.5 miles to go and it quickly became apparent that I would be staring at his back for the rest of the run.  With Brinkley right on my heels, I threw in a little surge to put distance between us with two to go and just tried to maintain pace for the remainder of the workout.  Just when I thought I was about to reel in Dan, he took off again, I slowed down, and that was that.  I ran about the same pace (just under 6:30) for the final two miles but I was speeding up and slowing down rather than running consistently.  I came through in a time of 52:38 for an average mile of 6:35. 

Check back at this workout and you will see the progress that has been made in one month's time.  That was our first real workout, and it feels like forever ago.  The 30-degree difference in temperature doesn't hurt, of course, but myself and all my training buddies have made some excellent progress in that amount of time

Eggers and I agreed after the workout that we could have continued that pace for several more miles but neither of us could have gone much faster.  Endurance, not speed.  We agreed to attempt a shorter, faster workout for next week - maybe some mile repeats - in order to push the pain threshold and pick up some footspeed. 

Stay tuned.

Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure

This is going to be a long one....

I jolted out of bed at 5:30 a.m. on Saturday, October 2nd, prepared to run a 5k race.  I'm pleased at how nervous I was; there was no chance apathy was going to set in here.  I fiddled with my race number about 10 more times (did I mention that I was nervous?) before heading uptown.  I parked at my friend Matt's place in First Ward so I could stash my keys on his patio and then jogged towards the race site.  It was about 51 degrees outside at 6am - perfect racing conditions!  I was wearing an Under Armour shirt and basketball shorts over my racing kit, so I would need to find a place to stash my stuff and just hope it wouldn't get stolen.

Large expo areas were set up in several of the big parking lots near Bank of America Stadium, and I suddenly became intimidated by the multitudes of people.  There were people everywhere (the Observer reported that there were about 16,000 people who participated), and they were all wearing pink and white.  I reminded myself that this was not a serious race and that I was probably faster than all but 20 of these people.  I started looking for some water - not too much to ask, right?  Volunteers were handing out orange juice, cookies, and potato chips, but I couldn't find water anywhere.  The fifth person I asked looked around at her booth, handed me a bottle and said, "Well, you can have this one, I guess, it's not open."  The exact same scenario played out after the race, too.

Around 6:45 I headed for the starting line at Tryon and 1st Streets, and ducked into the neighboring atrium right by the Ratcliffe on the Green.  I found a bush and decided this would be where I stashed my clothes.  I did some short sprints down Tryon Street to try to get my legs prepared for what would be a much faster pace than that to which they were accustomed.  Not long after that, a woman from WBT got on the microphone and began her emcee duties for the event.  She talked at length about the cause, the event, and many other things, but all I really heard was "all competitive runners need to be at the starting line at 7:15."  With 10 minutes to spare I jogged down to the port-a-jon one last time, headed back to my spot, peeled off my outer clothes, and headed to the line.

I walked right up to the front of the starting line and once again became terrified that I was going to be right at the front of this race.  Not only was John Compton nowhere in sight, but I only saw a couple guys who even looked like they knew what they were doing.  There were two high school kids discussing strategy and a guy in an orange-and-black (we'll call him "Orange Guy") racing kit who looked to be in his mid-thirties to my right and left.  I asked Orange Guy what he was hoping to run and he said, "18:45."  Perfect!  I told him I would like to break 19 and he said he thought I could do it.  Thanks!

With WBT woman continuing to talk, I tried to keep stretching and finally noticed the presence of Mr. Compton.  Orange Guy and I would not be leading this thing.  Good.  WBT woman gave a countdown from 10 to 1 for the start (that was pretty cool), and we were off.  Compton blasted into the lead as one of the high school guys followed right with him, and I tucked in behind Orange Guy was we headed down Tryon and then turned down Morehead Street.  I was cold, half-asleep, and tightening up as my legs tried to get used to sub-six-minute pace (the fastest mile I had turned in any workout before this was about 6:20 pace).  I estimated shortly before the mile mark that I was in 7th place.  I ran stride-for-stride with Orange Guy, who told me, "Just stay with me and you'll break 19, easily." 




The tall guy in the yellow shorts was tired of listening to the emcee and just wanted to race.  On the left, high school kid.  On the right, Orange Guy.

Unfortunately, Orange Guy lost me right before the mile - or at least I think it was right before the mile.  I looked down at my watch right past where I thought the marker was and saw "6:05."  I was running well but fading fast.  We made a couple turns, then headed away from town on Fourth Street and ducked into some neighborhoods.  A lot of people were passing me.  I went from 7th to what I guessed to be about 25th place.  Crowd support was good but once again there was no marker for the 2nd mile.  16,000 competitors and you can't bother to set up mile markers?  Are you kidding me? 
We made it back to Fourth Street for what would be the homestretch of the race.  I started to pick up the pace a little bit, with many of the people who had just passed me well within reach.  We passed the slower runners who were making the turn from 4th into those neighborhoods, and I was in awe of the sight.  So many runners....many of them cheered us and waved as we passed in the opposite direction.  That got me fired up, and then I looked up and saw the finish line about 400 meters ahead.  I'm an idiot.  For what, exactly, was I saving my energy on the 2nd mile?  I'm used to the marathon training, which allows to maintain a certain pace for 10 miles or so, but the 5k pace was a little intense.  I guess I just wasn't totally ready for it.  With that being said, I took off and passed about three guys, and when I realized several more were within reach, I dug down into an all-out sprint up the hill and into the finish line in a time of 19:10, good enough for 15th place.  I was laughing at myself when I crossed the line.

Orange Guy (who I now know was a guy named Marcus Barton), no doubt seeing my little sprint, walked up to me with his hands in the air and said, "I told you to stay with me!"  He actually looked like he was pretty pissed off.  I handed in my chip and then found my old rival, John Compton.  We exchanged pleasantries and briefly talked about the Charlotte Running Club, and he told me that he had in fact won the race in a time of 16:02 (he later told me that due to poor markings, he took a wrong turn in Mile 2 and lost about three seconds, preventing him from breaking 16).  Unlike me, he never quit; he had run collegiately at Wake Forest and was now helping coach at Providence Day.  He told me that the high school kid hung around for awhile before fading, and another runner finished second, about 45 seconds back. 

As for me, well...I noticed before the race that my bib had someone else's name on it, and by then it was far too late to fix this problem.  So, according to the results, someone named "Kroy Presley" finished 15th in a time of 19:10.  I e-mailed the powers that be in the hopes of getting this changed, but by now I've resigned myself to the fact that this was never meant to be a serious race.  I walked away from this effort not overly pleased, but certainly not disappointed.  The fact that I had so much left at the end tells me I could have gone much faster, but I ran a decent time for someone who has been out of racing for many years.  More importantly, I am training for a marathon.  I will view this as a great effort to get back into the racing scene, but mainly as a good speed workout to prepare me for December 11. 

Now, assuming I survive the marathon, the goal is to jump down to the 10k/5k distance in the spring.  Until next time....

Preparation for a race

This past Friday I once again had the pleasure of reuniting with an old friend.  A former teammate and roommate of mine at UNCW, Andy Painter, noticed via Facebook that I had been running and training a lot more these days.  He was coming to Gastonia for a wedding and sent me a message saying that he'd like to run with me at McAlpine.

We met at the Sardis entrance at 9:30am and set off to run the course and back (7 miles).  It was fun catching up with Andy, talking about what all we had been doing over the years and rehashing old memories.  We ran our 7 miles at a leisurely 7:51 pace.  Running in 70-degree weather after dealing with the nineties for five solid months is just fantastic!

As previously discussed, I have decided to run in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure 5K.  This past Friday was the eve of that race.  I paid the $35.00 entry fee and picked up my packet at Run For Your Life on Park Road.  Unlike most runners, I never liked to eat pasta before races (you can get the same energy stores from fruits and veggies, without all the cheese and noodles), but I was housesitting for my parents, and that's what was in the fridge.  So I devoured some pasta and proceeded to feel like crap for the next 12 hours. 

I was pretty nervous for this race.  I felt like someone (me??) was going to be really disappointed if I didn't perform well.  But what would be "performing well"?  I only started training seriously as recently as two months ago, and I hadn't run a race of any distance since track season my junior year at UNCW (2003).  I discussed strategy with Eggers and we determined that a time of 18:45 could be doable given how well some of my workouts have been going.  I knew that there were many potential mental blocks from having been out of it for so long but tried not to think about that.  Given my marathon training, I would be going on endurance, not speed, but I felt like 19 minutes was a reachable goal.

Now, here's where things get interesting.  While Komen is a fantastic cause (the proceeds go to breast cancer research for those who don't know), it has never been a very competitive race.  It's really more of a party than anything else.  I was suddenly afraid that a time of 19 minutes or under would put me right at the front of the pack.  I recently joined the Charlotte Running Club, and I e-mailed founder Aaron Linz to ask if any of the local heavy hitters would be suiting up for this one.  He confirmed my point about how the race was not usually competitive but mentioned that John Compton and a guy named Billy Shue would be running in it for sentimental reasons.  Compton was a rival of mine in high school; he ran for Providence Day and was four years younger than me but was already running in the low 17s when he was in eighth grade (my personal best in high school was 17:11).  Knowing those guys would be there relieved any fears I had of having to make a decision at the front of the field.

Friday night, I fiddled with my race number and laid out a black-and-white Nike singlet that I found buried in my closet.  I would also wear my Nike training shoes and some yellow-and-black racing shorts.  I drank several glasses of water, ate some berries, and tried to go to sleep.