The Oven's Gettin' Hot

Distance: 6.38 mi
Time: 00:49:47/7:48 ppm
Running Buddy

I ran fewer than 7 miles today and burned over 1,000 calories. I'm learning to embrace this awful weather and the impressive way in which it debilitates my body. I am NOT learning to run earlier in the morning. This is proving to be a difficult scheduling adjustment as my job often makes it difficult to get to bed early. I frequently wake up before 8, anyway, but that isn't early enough when it's this hot. It's not normally like this in these parts until August, however, so we should get a break soon.

Week in Review

Total Distance: 41.82 mi
Dedicated Time: 05:26:10 h:m:s

Despite the botched workouts I feel pretty good about this week. I feel like I may have gained some new training partners for when Eggers and Brinkley are out of town or have other conflicts. I don't always have to run low-7 pace on a long run, but I feel like I'll reap the rewards of yesterday's excursion.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do this week as far as a workout is concerned. I was planning to do the King Tiger 5k but now I'm having second thoughts. I haven't found the racing flats I want yet, and I'm extremely disappointed in the Brooks as they are well on their way to death after less than 300 miles. I guess that's what I get for switching from Nike. Even if I order some new trainers and flats they likely won't be here in time for the race. We'll see, though.

Long Run with a Group - That's Right, with a Group

Distance: 11.00 mi

Time: 01:20:25/7:18 ppm

Running Buddy

I wasn't kidding when I said I was going to start running with groups. This will still be a difficult task for workouts, but the CRC makes this remarkably easy for long runs. A club board member - usually Aaron or Cailtin, as far as I can tell - usually makes a post Friday or Saturday night asking where the Saturday or Sunday long runs will be. No one had commented so I made a post saying I wanted to do about 12 at McMullen no later than 7am, with a pace of about 7:30 per mile. A few people commented on it saying they would be there around the same time, including Ben and Megan Hovis, Jason Martin, and some others I didn't know. Boom, I had a group.

I actually showed up to the Trader Joe's side of the greenway a little late and saw a group of about 10 runners in front of Starbucks. I knew this was part of my group so I put my shoes on quickly and headed to the greenway. As they jogged by I made note that this didn't exactly look like the group I was trying to meet, so I waited, and found another runner who looked just as confused as I did. I made my introductions to Youssef (sp?) and, after realizing we had missed our connection, we both trotted down the greenway. Youssef and I discussed jobs and running plans and the usual things one might say to someone after a first introduction, and I realized he would make an excellent long run partner. We actually didn't say a whole lot but our pace started out right at 7:30 per mile and quickly dropped. Eh, Youssef, this pace is a little quicker than how I usually start for long runs, hehe....heh... 

About three miles in we came across Megan Hovis, Jason Martin, and the "Godfather," Bill Shires. Aha! For some reason I kept running while Youssef turned around and hollered, "You want to run with them? I'm going with them." I slammed on brakes, turned around, and joined what was now a group of five. Megan is an Olympic Trials qualifier in the marathon and the wife of Providence Day coach Ben Hovis, an acquaintance of mine from back in the day who would later be joining us; Jason is an acquaintance from way back in the Resurrection Lutheran days who also knows the Eggers family very well; Bill is about 45 years old and still runs marathons in about the 2:40 range. In other words, this was a good group to stumble upon on a Sunday morning. I joined the conversation while noting the "total average pace" on Running Buddy was quickly dropping from 7:30 to 7:25 to 7:22... 

Megan also writes the nutrition column for the CRC newsletter, so I mentioned to her that I'd bonked two workouts on account of stomach issues this week. She said that was happening to everyone lately and could be attributed to the heat. I talked to Jason about coaching and training and when Brian McMahon joined us, I talked to him about the NBA Finals. We later met up with Ben, and Youssef went back to Rea Road. I ran a little bit further with them before turning around, as I didn't want to do more than 12 miles for the day. I think Megan and Bill ended up doing 22 and I am completely confident they were running well under 7:00 pace by the end of it.

My average pace was down to 7:18 for 9 miles and I clicked off a 6:50 by myself before slowing down some on the last mile. So yeah, this was a good run. I doubt I would have been able to hold the pace for more than a couple more miles, though. 

Now time to destroy some breakfast and watching the Indy 500 before seeing my buddy Joel get hitched! It's going to be great weekend!

Can't Stomach the Workouts.... But I Can Watch a 5k?

All in one session: warmup for 2.01 mi then right into 3 x 8 min with 2 min rest, then cooldown.
Running Buddy

The information above means that I lumped everything into one session this time instead of separating the warmup and cooldown from the workout. Well, the cooldown was separate, but we'll get to that later.

As the title of this post should indicate, I would go on to bonk a workout on account of stomach  problems for the second time this week. I took some gel on the car ride to McAlpine, which probably was part of it, and set off down the greenway for a warmup. As I approached the park I could see a large crowd setting up for an event. Oh great, I thought. What now? I have a way of accidentally running through large festivals, but my concern immediately turned to excitement when I noticed people were setting up for a 5k. Ah, yes! The "Run for Peace 5k" benefiting domestic violence prevention was this morning. Somehow I had forgotten about it, otherwise I likely would have signed up, and instead of cramping through a workout I would have been preparing for another race.

I took off in the direction of Harris Blvd. for my workout and let's just briefly note that it did not go well. I didn't allow myself to get too frustrated because I knew it was all in the stomach, but I did make a note to not let this happen again. Be it beer, soda, or poor nutrition the previous day, something would have to go - if not all of those things!

As I headed back to the park - and the race site - I saw Chad Crockford, and a couple minutes later noticed Paul Mainwaring stretching. Ok, whoa... This might be a race worth watching.  Paul is one of the fastest runners in Charlotte, regularly running in the low 16s or under for a 5k and beating pretty much everyone except for John Compton so far this year. He looked like he wouldn't mind being bothered so I introduced myself. We discussed training, race history, and today's race and then I told him I'd stick around to yell at him and Chad.

Uniquely, this race separated the men and women into two different heats, with the idea being that the opposite sexes would have a chance to cheer for and support one another (again, this race benefited domestic violence prevention). As the men's race started I jogged over to just past the mile marker. I watched Paul come flying past and then moved to the hill. A high school kid was bravely hanging on for dear life about 15 seconds behind Paul and 20 seconds, at this time, ahead of Chad, Michael Creason, and a few others. I jogged around a bit and yelled encouragement at everyone. Paul won easily in a time of 16:29 and Chad finished second, eventually reeling in the high school kid just before the two-mile mark.

I joined Paul, Chad, and two other guys I didn't know for a cooldown on the greenway. I'm beginning to realize that, as much as I love running alone, it isn't going to get me anywhere and I could do myself some good by trying to run in groups more often. Training with people who are faster than I am is going to do wonders for me. Don't ask me why it took so long for me to realize this, but hey. Paul casually said some things that really encouraged me, including the fact that I should be happy I'm already running around 19 after being away from training for so long. You can read his blog here.

Hot Hangover

Distance: 6.00 mi
Time: 00:47:12/7:49 ppm

It's 95 degrees here in the Queen City and my air conditioning has been out for two days, with no sign at this point as to when it will be fixed. I couldn't take it last night so I left the pad to go drink beer. As a result I found myself sweating painfully on today's run, taking some effort in the middle miles to get the average pace under 8:00. One of these days I'll get my act together; the good news is I am at least getting in the miles.

Running Buddy

Half-Milers at McMullen

Warmup: 2.03 mi in 16:08
Workout: 8 x half-mile at race pace goal with 2 min rest between sets.
Cooldown: 0.92 mi in 12:06.
Running Buddy


Note to self: do not eat Qdoba on workout days, especially when it's hot. For the most part I felt strong out there today, but poor dieting and dehydration had my stomach in knots. I don't care how good you feel, when aliens are threatening to fly out your guts, you can only run so fast. I ran a slower pace on these than I did for the mile repeats a week ago. The good news is that I did at least finish the workout - though not the cooldown, as you can see above - and that my last half was the fastest.

Splits were 3:05, 3:04, 3:04, 3:07, 3:08, 3:03, 3:06, 3:02.

I did these on the mostly flat terrain of the McMullen greenway. I used to hate that place but it's rapidly growing on me. Although it's right in the middle of a dense residential area in south Charlotte, it gives the impression of pure wilderness. It runs alongside a row of houses for a good bit, but even then it's only on one side, with the other being dense woods and at some points eerie marshland. It's actually quite enjoyable. I think I only grew to detest it last fall because Oelz always suggested it over McAlpine.

Hot

Distance: 7.00 mi
Time: 00:54:07/7:44 ppm

Not much to report here; I ran at McAlpine, where there is no shade on the greenway, and baked in the heat. I'm slowly learning that I can't just take off for the run at any random moment in the day any longer. The good news is I think I've figured out how to avoid falling on the downhill once and for all.

Running Buddy

Week in Review

Total Distance: 27.27 mi
Dedicated Time: 03:33:42 h:m:s

Had I actually gotten in a long run this would not have been such an easy week, but I suppose it's just as well. I'm slowly but surely creeping back up in to the forties for my weekly mileage, and from there I'll go on, but I don't want to rush into it. Again, trying to avoid making the mistakes I made last fall that led to my injury. Speaking of which, I have yet to report on the body's feelings: I'm still doing the seated calf raises regularly, and they seem to be doing wonders for my lower extremities. I was constantly stretching my shins and my feet last fall, which in combination to the overtraining likely contributed to the injury. Now, I can clearly see that the calf raises are building up muscle around the injured area in the hopes of preventing further damage - with the added bonus that my support system is stronger down low.

I will not be racing this week but it should be high mileage nonetheless. Repeating a workout again I'm going to do half-mile repeats this Wednesday - and I haven't decided what workout number two will be. I hope to get in 10-12 miles for the Sunday long run.

No Long Run...

Distance: 0.0 mi
Time: 00:00:00/0:00 ppm

I didn't do a long run today, and I'm extremely angry at myself for it. I agreed to go out uptown last night for a birthday party, I didn't have fun, and I consumed enough spirits to prevent myself from getting in the miles today. In lieu of going into a diatribe about how awful the downtown Charlotte scene can be on a Saturday night, let's just say that it won't happen again. I have my places I like to go, on my time and with the right people, and I was nowhere near any of it last night. Lesson learned, hopefully.

Great Harvest Bread 5K

Location: Piper Glen
Warmup: 2.30 mi in 18:05/8:05 ppm
Race: Unofficially but according to the Garmin - 3.16 mi in 19:07/6:02 ppm; officially 19:08, 32nd overall/12th in age group.
Cooldown: 3.37 mi in 32:22/9:35 ppm

I woke up angrily at 5:35 a.m., crawled out of bed about eight minutes later, and then made some oatmeal. I can't eat much before a race but oatmeal seems to be working pretty well so far, as long as I have close to a couple hours to spare. Game time is 7:30 so I was on schedule. We were instructed to park in the Calvary Church lot behind the shopping center and walk down. When I arrived at 6:30 there was already a large crowd. I expected Eggers would be fashionably late as usual but figured Brinkley might be here, so I sent him a BBM. I waited a couple minutes then started walking down to the race site after not getting a response.

I went to pick up my chip, fiddled with it on my shoelaces for a good five minutes, and then took my turn in the Porta-Jon. I milled out for a bit hoping I'd find one of my boys. I figured Dave was probably already warming up, and I needed to do the same, so I gave up and headed down the greenway. Most of the crowd was back at the race expo behind Trader Joe's, or running around on the course, but I did see a few people with race numbers on their chests running down the greenway. I ran into my college teammate, Dezi Kabouris, and John Fillette on the walk down but other than that I hadn't seen anyone I knew.

I jogged down the course a bit, with about fifteen minutes til start time at this point. Here I ran into Emily Barrett, who basically summed up her feelings as follows: "Dude I am not feeling this course, man!" I wasn't really that worried about the course, but I was ready for things to get interesting. I wanted to start off slower, but not get too far behind, and then be prepared to go like heck. With a roller-coaster opening mile there was a decent chance I could start off slow and not have much left.

I got back and realized I had a 0% chance of getting a good starting spot after looking at the crowd at the line. I went to drop off my outerwear and my car keys in a bush somewhere, and it was here that I ran into a very panic-stricken Daniel Eggers and David Brinkley. It turns out they had thought the race started at 8 and as a result were just now arriving. It's always something with those two. They tried to get in as much of a warmup as possible, and I did some striders while the race director said a few words.

I felt like staying away from the crowd at the line did wonders for my nerves; I was able to get loose, think about strategy, and politely explain to my body what I was about to put it through, which was preferable to standing around surrounded by 600 people and listening to some dude talk. However, in the future I'm just going to have to shove my way through before the start, because I now faced a situation that was not quite desirable: I was standing on the sidewalk, elevated from the pack, with a set of cones, some wire, and a box directly in front of me. There were 75 people directly to my left and another 500-plus behind them. Going around the outside before the start wasn't an option because we have to cross the timing mats. I wasn't worried that my time would be affected, because the chip doesn't register until we cross the line, and it's the chip time that's official. But I was worried about knocking someone down or tripping over a cable.

The race director gave the starting command for the baby joggers - I had forgotten about them - and forty-five or so seconds later gave the command for the rest of us. What happened next was pure chaos, at least for me. I sidestepped a cone, jumped down off the sidewalk right in front of someone, nudged the person in front of me, and hurdled a small child. THEN, I crossed the timing mats and pressed "start" on my watch. I found a little bit of space but in front of me I also found massive amounts of people who had no interest whatsoever in starting off at 6:00 pace, which is what I had in mind. I thought about getting back on the sidewalk and passing as many people as possible, and when Eggers did exactly that right in front of me, I followed him. We darted back into the crowd, ahead of about 30 more people, and then crossed Elm Lane.

I passed Dezi - at least I think it was her - and slid in behind Dave and some other guy up yet another hill. "Hey Dave," I said, "do you realize this is our first race together?" He said, "yeahhh man" in a tone that suggested he wasn't interested in talking to me at the moment. Imagine that? I had finally managed to program my Garmin to show my "total average pace" instead of "instant pace," and I looked down at it to see I was averaging about 5:50 pace. I slowed down some, or to put it more clearly, the next giant hill I ran up slowed me down, and then I settled into a groove. My Garmin beeped before the mile marker and read "6:01." I knew it would be foolish to try to hang with Eggers and Dave at this point, but they were still right in front of me. I was racing with a couple of older guys, one guy about my age - and one guy dressed in a kilt. When we came to a downhill I let my long legs go and passed about 6 people; when we went back up the hill I faded a bit and they all passed me back. And that's how it would go for the next mile or so.

We looped around a curve on Bevington, and up ahead I could see the fluid motion of Daniel Eggers' stride leading this pack of about 20 around the turn and - you guessed it - up another hill. The Garmin now read 6:04 average pace and I was still feeling all right but my mind started playing tricks on me - the guessing game where one wonders if it's really worth all this trouble just to break 19 minutes. Right about that time the guy in the kilt passed me again, and I made up my mind about something: regardless of what happened from here on out, there was no effing way I was going to lose to a guy in a kilt.

We stepped off Bevington and into another neighborhood and down another hill. As we prepared to climb again I made a point not let anyone pass me this time. There was a man who looked to be in his late forties that had been racing with us the whole time, and I motioned with my right arm for him to come join me at the crest of this hill. I heard him say, "I'll get there when I can." We turned back on Bevington, side-by-side, and exchanged words of encouragement with less than half a mile to go (at least that's what I thought...). Up, down, up hills we went and I let him get ahead of me. There were several people within reach and I knew we had a downhill coming. I relaxed briefly...and then dropped the hammer. I flew past the older guy and about six or eight other people and then began bearing down on Danielle Crockford. My mind knew that I had to turn into the shopping center before the finish, but my body and my Garmin thought the race was over. My sprint down the hill sapped me. The older guy and about three other people I had passed scooted right on by me. I limped into the finish and hit the stop button on my watch.

Hitting the watch before crossing the mats...is bad form! 

As I composed myself and handed in my chip, I noticed everyone around me talking about how their Garmins measured the course long - some by as much as a tenth of a mile - and that there was no need for us to turn in to the shopping center. For whatever reason, the consensus was that the course was a little long. I wanted to break 19 minutes and actually ran 19:08, so I was not pleased with this new information. I quickly realized, however, that even if this was a true 5k I had still run faster than I did a week ago - on a course that's much tougher than McAlpine, to boot. So I was pretty happy. I cooled down with Eggers, Brinkley, Billy Shue, and Richard Harris (Eggers eventually thought it necessary to dart off in the woods ahead of us, for some reason).

The buzz surrounded this race - and the GPX series, in general - could not be denied. There was a palpable excitement in the air, and I made a note of this as I thought about my immediate future. The next race is June 4, and I will be there. I'm either going to need a haircut or a headband between now and then, and apparently I need a CRC singlet so Jamaar Valentine will take my picture.  'Til next time, folks.

Race Results
Garmin details

Great Harvest course preview

Distance: 3.08 mi
Time: 00:23:58/7:47 ppm

It's been brought to my attention that I have a lot of random readers who otherwise don't follow running, and likely read this blog only because I have brainwashed them. So, for those of you who don't know what the Grand Prix Series (GPX) is, let me sum it up briefly: it a series of road races - ten, I believe - ranging from February to late October put on by Run For Your Life, a local store and the unofficial headquarters of Charlotte's running community. The races include a four-miler, an 8k, a 10k, a 15k, and several 5k events. The courses are all over town. These races attract the best runners in Charlotte, though they don't all make it to each one, of course. They are very well-advertised. In other words, they are diverse, large, and competitive. Maybe that wasn't such a brief description after all.

At any rate, the Great Harvest Bread 5k in Piper Glen is the next stop on the GPX tour, and the first such event for yours truly. I was, in fact, a part of the local running community once upon a time, and today I know a good number of the CRC members who will be present tomorrow, so I had a pretty good idea what to expect of the atmosphere. It was the course itself that I needed to investigate. I'm going to make a point to preview the course for each race I do this year.

For those familiar with south Charlotte, this race is hosted by the Great Harvest store in Piper Glen, right next to the Trader Joe's at the corner of Rea Road and Bevington. For those familiar with this blog, Bevington is the road right next to the back end of the McMullen greenway. When I start at 51 and run here on the greenway, I've gone six miles. The course would go down Bevington across Elm Lane and through a bunch of neighborhoods.

The course was, to put it quite succinctly, a roller-coaster. You know that Planet Fitness commercial with the goofy muscle dude who keeps saying, "I PICK THINGS UP AND PUT THEM DOWN!"? Well, today I felt like screaming, "I RUN UP A HILL AND THEN I RUN DOWN!"  I felt angry at Eggers, who ran this thing on Monday, for telling me this would be a fast course. Flat courses are fast. This was very much the opposite of flat, regardless of the downhills.

I tried not to focus too much on that, though. Just race... Also, my feet were hurting today because I was wearing extra-thin socks on account of being behind on laundry. So that was an unwelcome distraction. For the most part I feel stronger in my older age, but there are certainly aches that crop up now and then that did not before.

I stopped at the point on Bevington where I thought the course would end; my Garmin read 3.08 miles, which given its tendencies sounded about right to me (as opposed to 3.1). I ran an extra mile on the greenway, bought some good eats at Trader Joe's, and then went home. I am looking forward to the race, hills be damned!

Freedom Park shines

Distance: 6.00 mi
Time: 00:46:26/7:44 ppm

Another easy run meant another run from Freedom Park. The sunbathing beauties were out today as I strolled around the lake and headed through the Queens neighborhoods. The racing, long runs, and increased intensity during workouts have made it nearly impossible for me to feel fresh on easy days, so today I just tried to grind it out and give the legs a break. I'm really starting to feel strong again, and I'm starting to look like a runner again - which is to say I'm losing my gut. Hopefully I won't get injured again, but if I do I need to do a better job of keeping my fitness levels high so that I'm not going back to square one after recovery. But let's not worry about that... I'm struggling to get out the door early for one reason or another, but the heat is gradually forcing my hand. It's getting tough to crank these out at 2 in the afternoon.

Running Buddy

Improvement

Warmup: 1.92 mi in 14:39/7:37 ppm
Workout: 4xMile with 2-min rest between sets. 6:09, 6:06, 6:00, 5:59.
Cooldown: 2.05 mi in 18:42/9:06 ppm
Goal: improve times from the first mile repeats workout and learn how to push through pain better.

Great success! I ran these by myself at McAlpine and blew away my splits from this same workout with Brinkley at McMullen about a month ago. The conditions today were ideal, so that helped. I ran into Mike Mitchell and then John Compton on the greenway warming up, and I think seeing each of them got me fired up. I reset the watch at the park and programmed it for four one-mile sets with two minute rest in between. I ran the first one from the starting line of the 5k course to Margaret Wallace in 6:09, and it was characterized by surges. I started off hard, then slowed down, then kept an eye on things and just cruised home. I crossed MW and headed into the thick woods towards Harris Boulevard. I was heading for home and suddenly realized I was running out of trail. It was either make a sharp turn up some steps and onto the sidewalk or continue running through tall - and possibly snake-infested - weeds. I chose the weeds and came through in 6:06.

Starting in the weeds, I ran my next one back down the asphalt greenway towards Margaret Wallace and was able to keep the pace brisk. I hit 6-flat and then prepared to run my last mile. I dodged a woman and her kids on the greenway and tried to throw the hammer down with just under half a mile to go. Nothing... Well, I still can't find that speed... Wait. I looked at the watch, saw I had a chance to break 6, and then went for it. There it is...the speed, the drive, the want-to.  I finished in just under 6 minutes, and then bent down to grab my shorts in an effort to find air.

I have improved a good bit, and even ran negative splits - I can't ask for more than that right now. Let's just hope it's there on Saturday.

Details

Week In Review

Total Distance: 38.51 mi
Dedicated Time: 04:50:42

This was my longest week of mileage and my first experience in racing since October. And really, it was just my second experience in racing since 2003. I got in a great long run. It was a good week.

The mileage is still low and while I'd like to eventually get in the 50-60 range, I need to build up slowly and continue getting in cutback weeks. Quality over quantity right now.

For the coming week I want do mile repeats again to compare my progress from the first workout of the season, and I'm signed up for the Great Harvest Bread 5k in Piper Glen - a Grand Prix series race which will really give me a chance to run with some good competition. I am looking forward to all of these things.

Downtown, and All Around..

Distance: 12.51 mi
Time: 01:35:18/7:37 ppm

My goal for this week was to do a long run that actually felt long, so this would be my longest run of the "season." I had to go by Capital Grille to check on the valet boys at 4:30, so I decided I would start from downtown and just see where the legs would take me.

I parked my car on Poplar Street and set off down 6th in the direction of Frazier Park. I wasn't sure what to expect of Frazier Park; I only knew it was there from having run the Komen 5K course a few times last fall and seeing a greenway go under 4th Street. I ran away from downtown on the north side, on 4th, and then ducked into the park to see what it was all about. The fellas were out hoopin' it up on a basketball court and there was a married couple or two walking their dogs. There was also a large dog park that extended from the edge of the park on 4th to a point about 300 meters back. I ran past that, got barked at a few times, and then...nothing. The park ended. I knew the greenway extended on the other side, so I ran through a tunnel under 4th and found a path. There were more fields and courts but other than that there wasn't a whole lot to see here. The walkway I was running on extended into an expanse with a gravel path that ran under a massive bridge that was host to I-77. I couldn't help thinking this scene would have made an awesome picture, but there was no one around with a camera.

There was no one around, period. I ran past the entrance to a neighborhood and towards a section of Morehead Street that I had never seen, then turned around and ran towards Bank of America Stadium.  As I darted through a field and around the outside of the stadium, I couldn't help wondering if I'd be able to make it to a few games this year. The Panthers were horrible last season, but there's something to be excited about now with the arrival of Cam Newton, and the powers that be had better get their act together so we can watch some football!

Now on south Mint Street, I decided I wanted to run this section of the marathon course, backwards, so I kept going. It didn't take long before the scenery became a little unfriendly. I thought about what I always tell people - Who's going to mess with a runner? - and wondered why I always say that. I'm not wearing much in the way of clothing, true, so it's obvious I don't have any money on me. And there's always the idea of simply, you know, running away if anyone came after me. However, if someone were to offer me a sampling of crack cocaine I would have no choice but to simply compose and myself and resist...

About five miles into this my legs finally started feeling warmed up and fresh - keep in mind, I ran a race yesterday - so I picked up the pace a little bit as I ran through South End. I turned on Morehead and parted ways with the marathon course, then headed towards Freedom Park. I was going to run through the park and come back downtown on the Little Sugar Creek greenway. Massive crowds encountered me as I entered the park. I had no idea what was going on but there were people lined all over the path and the hill, as someone was on the stage, singing - and so I had no choice (really...) but to run right in front in between the crowds and the stage. I was starting to feel pretty awful but something about the people and the music put a hop in my step and I clicked off my fastest miles before and after this section of the run.

I was really hurting now as I headed through downtown and back towards my car. I recalled the marathon training last fall, in which every long run progression went great until I reached the point I had yet to endure. Well, after 10-plus miles, I was at that point today. As badly as I felt I knew I needed to make a deposit into the Bank of Endurance and Stamina, and this was a good start.

Runs like this one are my favorite - where I can just take off and figure it out as I get there. Perhaps next time I'll avoid hopping over to the wrong side of the tracks.

Details 

2011 Run for Clean Air 5K

Location: McAlpine Park
Warmup: 2.0 mi in 16:08
Race: 3.1 mi in 19:17/6:15 pace; 5th place overall/3rd in age group (25-29 male).
Cooldown: 2.0 mi in 16:30
Race Results

I decided to leave the Garmin at home for this one. I wouldn't need it at McAlpine; I can run this course blindfolded (although if I did I'd probably fall down the hill). Also, the watch measured this course short the other day so it probably would have been more of a hindrance than a help.

My strategy for today was as follows (with help from Eggers): try to stay close to 6-flat for the first mile, attack the hill and drop whomever I'm running with at the time, and then just gas it for the last mile. I was very curious to see if the speed workouts I've done recently would help me out today.

I parked my car at the main lot, took notice of the decent-sized crowd, and then took off down the greenway for a warmup. It was cloudy and only about 70 degrees but VERY humid. I was drenched after less than a mile. I ran into Alex Wernikoff, a fellow CRC member who's much faster than I am currently. I ran back to my car and ditched my outerwear before drinking more water and heading down to the stage. I found my dad, who agreed to come out, and handed him my car keys. There was a dude dressed as a superhero in the role of "Captain Clean Air" or whatever, and some lady leading a large group of people in a stretching routine. The whole scene was a bit odd. I quickly left these weird people and made my way to the starting line. Alex, myself, and a group of high school kids milled about at the starting line. I chatted them up and did a few striders down the greenway.

I'm in red, about four back here. [photo courtesy of Barry Blackwood]

Right at 9 a.m. Captain Clean Air herded everyone to the line. Everyone made a line down the greenway - as opposed to spanning out into the grass next to it - which I thought odd. Amateurs. Captain Clean Air counted down for us and we were off. Naturally, the high school kids started out way too fast. How long they would all last was anyone's guess; a couple of them did look like they were speedy, but who knows? I took off quickly in order to get some space, making my elbows clear and present to anyone who got too close, and then settled into a groove. I just tried to keep Alex in front of me, and he stayed about five strides ahead as we raced down the straightaway.

I could tell we were running sub-6 pace but it felt easy. I got a little bit comfortable and started looking down and ju-

Dude you just got passed by a girl!!! Wake the @#!k up!!

A blonde in pink shorts scooted past me at the half-mile mark and settled in with a pack of about five high school boys. I made a point to wake up and start racing. I surged right up behind them and stayed there for a bit, as the pace continued to feel pretty easy. I was going to hang with them and then surge at the hill, as planned, but I got bored and pushed past the blonde - I met her afterward so I guess we can call her by her name, Carolyn - and into the lead of our little pack. Alex and a couple other runners were well out of reach by now, so it was just us at this point.

I noticed none of these kids was wearing a watch so I made a point to call out our split - 5:53 - when we crossed the first mile marker. I motioned for my arm for the one kid to keep surging with me as we rounded the u-turns and headed toward the hill.

He didn't stay with me. I surged up the hill and effectively dropped my pack. I made a point to scale the downhill on the right side, and luckily I didn't fall. I passed my dad for the first time at the entrance to the lake and realized I had effectively sealed my fate with that little surge: I was in 5th and it would stay that way for the final mile-plus. My first mile split and surge at the hill was perfectly in line with my strategy; however, it also meant I was suddenly all alone.

..Middle of mile 2, about to round the lake for the first time.
[photo courtesy of Barry Blackwood]

I came through the 2-mile split in 12:17 and realized that breaking 19 would require an effort I wasn't certain that I had in me. I slowed down a bit... No! Keep your head in the game! ...then I sped up, and so on. Fighting...fighting some more... I came around the soccer fields (less than 800 meters to go) and re-entered the lake, looking over my right shoulder to keep an eye on Carolyn. She was too far back to catch me, but I threw in a surge anyway. I missed my 3-mile split but I'd guess it was around 6:10. I took one last look at the watch and dug down. I wasn't going to break 19 but I managed to bring it in pretty hard - officially 19:17 for 5th place overall and 3rd in the 25-29 male age group (always the most competitive age group, and one I'm glad I'll be graduating from this December).

Receiving my age group award from Captain Clean Air with (from left)Jonathan Clayton and Alex
Wernikoff [photo courtesy of Barry Blackwood].

I talked to Carolyn and Alex for a little bit after the race before collecting a $10 gift card to Omega Sports. Sweet, I need some new socks. I wasn't necessarily thrilled with my time but all in all I was delighted with the proceedings of the day. I felt I could have gone faster with more runners, but there will be other races for that. I can tell that my training is paying off as the speedy opening mile didn't do me any harm. I just need to keep at it.

Very glad to be out there racing again! Can't wait for the next one, and it's next week so I won't have to wait long.

Early Friday at McMullen

Distance: 5.00 mi
Time: 00:40:05/8:01 pace

My company is strewn out all over town this weekend, including a 6:30 a.m. start at Quail Hollow this morning. I drove by there to set up and then headed around the corner to the McMullen greenway for this one.

I didn't really focus much on running today. I tried to think about tomorrow's race. I wasn't really nervous this time but I was really looking forward to it. I did actually make a point to notice whether or not Running Buddy was in tune with the mileage posts on the greenway. I was a little bit behind after mile one and stayed the same distance behind for the next three miles. Then, it evened out as I came in for the last mile, putting me at exactly 5 miles and dead even with the posts. Your guess is as good as mine, but I didn't really have much else on my mind.

There was a loud whirring noise permeating the woods surrounding the greenway throughout this one. It sounded like an alien spaceship had landed nearby. I did not stick around to find out if the aliens were friendly or not.

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Short Tempo Run

Distance: 5.00 mi
Time: 00:34:50/6:57 pace

Goal: Run a tough workout, but do something a little longer and slower in order to keep the legs from getting too sore.

As stated above, I didn't want to do anything too speed-intensive with the race coming up. My leg muscles have been a little tight lately. I couldn't decide whether or not I wanted to do mile repeats or a tempo run, so I asked my friends to decide for me. With the score even, Kati Robertson broke the tie by picking a tempo. I was either going to do 5 miles or 7, depending on how I held up in the heat.

I didn't hold up in the heat. I also started off too fast (again), running mile one just over 7, and basically just kind of kept the pace there the whole run. And I was definitely done after five miles. I did run a 6:49 in there somewhere, and managed a 7:03 on the hill mile, so this wasn't a total wash. But with tired legs and the humidity to deal with, I couldn't do a whole lot. Oh, and I almost busted my ass on the downhill again. I may try rappelling down it at the race on Saturday.

I also did a short cooldown after I was done with this one.

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Course Preview??

Distance: 7.00 mi
Time: 00:51:56/7:24 pace

I was going to run just 5 miles today, but since I'm racing at McAlpine this weekend I thought I'd venture on to the park and run the whole course. It's always good to get a course preview, right? I joke, I joke. Really I just felt like running longer. Oh well.

I made a point to get things going a little quicker this time, as discussed before. That won't always be the case, but today I was able to average 7:25 pace. Not too bad.

Lately, Eggers and I have discussed how the downhill on the course has gotten progressively steeper over the years. Basically, it's just eroding at the top, but it's become steep enough to pose serious risk, especially for a bigger lad like myself. Today, I wasn't running all that fast and nearly lost it coming down that thing. Other than that, this was a good run.

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Week In Review

Total Distance: 29.02 miles
Dedicated Time: 03:46:44 h:m:s

This accidentally ended up being a cutback week in mileage, despite the longer Sunday run and the two tough workouts. Boom. That's exactly what I want right now - quality over quantity. I'd rather it come from shorter easy runs than from missing two days (work reasons) but whatever works.

I read on Theoden's blog that there's a 5k race at McAlpine next Saturday. Shut up...you had me at "McAlpine." I couldn't be more "in." I'm looking forward to that and to the week ahead in general.

Long Run with a Heavy Heart

Distance: 10.16 mi
Time: 01:19:02/7:46 ppm

Last night around 8 p.m. I found out that one of my closest friends had unexpectedly lost his father yesterday afternoon. Without mentioning names at this point, I can tell you that this is someone who has been a friend of mine since childhood, and I have always been close to his family. I have many fond memories of getting in trouble together, competing together, and enjoying the support of his parents in addition to my own. My heart was with the family today as I set out for the Sunday long run.

Things have been pretty exciting around here on account of the PGA tournament being in town once again, and I decided to sleep in for a bit. This wouldn't leave me much time as I had tickets myself, but I was proud of myself for not skipping the run and getting the miles in.

Get the miles in, I did. This ended up being my longest run since I have recovered from my injury. I ran from home up through town, then darted over to the south end and out past Freedom Park before heading back home. The pace wasn't that great but I was tired and dehydrated so it's all right. I felt good about being done, and then I headed for Championship Sunday at Quail Hollow for the sixth year in a row.

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Getting it Done.. on a Saturday Morning

Total Distance: 7.38 mi
Total Time: 01:01:39/8:20 ppm

Warmup: 1.99 mi in 16:15
Workout: 20x0.13 mi (basically 200 meters, just slightly longer) with 45-second rest in between sets.
Cooldown: 1.89 mi in 16:34
Goal: Basically just continue building up speed endurance. Run them slightly faster than I did for the 12 quarters the other day as this is half the distance. Very short rest in between.

I entertained thoughts of going out late Friday night and skipping this thing, with the justification being that I had already done a workout this week. But no... I got out there today because I want to be faster. I made it to the Sardis lot before 6:30 a.m., did my warmup, and then headed over to the track at Charlotte Christian. See there, I've hit my high school and college alma maters in one week.

To whom it may concern, the track at CCS is in dire need of resurfacing. My legs took a beating. So did my confidence. I was struggling early, and any ideas of running these fast went out the window. I decided to hold back a bit and just maintain, making sure these stayed around 5:30 pace per mile and a little faster than the quarters. I managed to achieve that goal. The short rest (45 seconds, and you can imagine how fast that goes by when you're exhausted) really made this a tough workout, but I got it done!

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A Quicker Easy Run

Distance: ????

Somehow my Garmin troubles from yesterday carried over to today. The device appears to have fused my cooldown from UNCC into today's run. I don't know what's more odd - that, or the fact that I didn't notice it before I ran today. I basically ran just under 5 miles today at a pretty solid clip and felt great, despite some soreness in the legs from the workout. So far, as long as I keep the easy runs shorter, I don't think I'll have much trouble maintaining a good pace.

Quarter-Milers in New Scenery

I had some trouble with Running Buddy (we have to name our Garmins, so that's what I called mine) today so I'm not exactly sure how to post the results of my workout. First of all, I decided randomly that I wanted to run the Mallard Creek greenway and do the 400s/quarter-miles on the UNCC track. I ran 1.52 miles down the greenway and made it to campus before realizing that the track may be out of the question. The gate was open but there were a few team members still cooling down, and I saw three signs basically daring me to enter. The signs at the gate said things like, "outside access strictly prohibited," "UNCC athletic department only," and "anyone who uses this track will immediately be turned into a pillar of salt." I would have used it anyway if there hadn't been athletes on it.

I had heard something about a recreational track and some soccer fields nearby, so I sought them out. There was what looked like an athletic complex behind the main soccer fields, still under construction, and also a large hill above it that also looked as if whatever it would eventually be home to was still a work in progress. Looking back, I should have tried to run on the soccer field.

Instead my path found me up at an intramural field, with part of the greenway looping around it. I decided this half-umowed grass/half-asphalt surface would be my "track." I programmed the Garmin - or at least I thought I did - and took off. I glanced down at it when I realized it wasn't beeping to alert me my first quarter-mile was almost done, and then realized I had not saved the workout program. So I ran one stray quarter and then got the watch programmed to do 11 more - with 60-second rest in between.

I basically wanted these to be faster than 6:00 mile pace, and for the most part I pulled that off. There were a few in there that there were really slow, and I found myself questioning my effort as I was coasting in to stop before Running Buddy told me to. Nonetheless, this was a great workout for 5k training and I got it done. I'm still whipping the body into speed shape.

These were my splits for the quarters (again, a quarter-mile is slightly longer than 400 meters, and I'd like to remind everyone that this wasn't the easiest surface): 79, 80, 85, 86, 89, 91, 91, 86, 89, 94, 81.

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Week In Review

Total Distance: 32.95 mi
Dedicated Time: 04:19:09

Things are still a little bit out of focus for me, but I'm putting in the work. There really won't be any way to tell where I am until I actually show up for a race; I'm not all that encouraged right now but again, I know I'm putting in the work so it will come. I'm slowly progressing into a new schedule that will heavily favor quality over quantity, and I'm looking forward to that.

My buddies Eggers and Brinkley ran the CPCC Skyline 5k yesterday, and Eggers was pretty miffed about his performance. I drew some inspiration from this race recap and this next post explaining that things need to change. That's just what it's all about. It's motivating to know we're all people with good jobs, great friends (in Eggers' case a wife and daughter) - basically, alot to be thankful for - and still getting pissed off and ready to drop the hammer when things don't go well in a race or workout.

I have already discussed wanting to change the schedule to start doing two speed workouts every week (or one plus a race) plus a good, semi-fast long run. Well, Eggers and I also discussed keeping our easy runs short but a little faster, as well.

Long Run - with some culture!

Distance: 9.00 mi
Time: 01:07:42/7:31 ppm

I parked at the Sardis lot, as usual, but started by running up Sardis towards the Boyce trails right past Charlotte Christian. I now realize that any time I run in the Boyce trails, my Garmin is going to report some slow times, so despite the reading of 7:40 for mile one and 7:52 for mile two, I knew I had gotten off to a decent clip. That was the plan for today - keep the pace honest and steady. Not too slow or too quick, maybe throw in a fast mile at the end if the system feels up for it.

As I approached the park, I noticed a group of Hispanic males scaling the hill from the Monroe Road bridge..then a group of several more, with children, walking towards the park...then several more...and by then, I was about to enter the park and could tell there was some sort of gathering taking place. When I was closer I upgraded this occasion from a "gathering" to a "very large festival." There must have been 10,000 Hispanic people at McAlpine Park. The greenway was mobbed with people and a line of about 30 booths set up alongside it. In the grassy knoll between the starting line of the course and the lake, there were two or three stages, featuring comedians and dancers and Lord knows what else. I tried not to slow down too much as I was now clipping along in the 7:35 range, but ducked back into the woods, eschewing the greenway, and ran the first mile backwards before cutting over towards Margaret Wallace Road. I even noticed a few parking attendants directing people to come through the service entrance and park their cars in the grass adjacent to the greenway. It was...quite a sight.

I turned around at Margaret Wallace and decided to slowly pick up the pace as I headed home. I didn't want this to be much longer than 9 miles today. I came down the greenway and realized I could probably navigate through the crowds. Here I was, a half-naked blond runner in the midst of thousands of Hispanic revelers...there was a slight chance I stood out a bit.

Naturally, I just rolled through there like it was no big deal, knocking the pace down to about 7:20 and then running a 6:56 for the final mile, along the long stretch away from the park. I hit the 9-mile mark before I made it back to Sardis so I just decided to walk the rest of the way in. I felt pretty good about getting in the miles and keeping the pace decent, especially since it was a little hot.

I was ready to go home and watch some basketball - anyone interested in an NBA playoffs post? Go Thunder!

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