Booty 200s

Warmup: 1.42 mi in 00:11:54 - 8:22 ppm
Workout: 3.20 mi in 00:23:39 - 7:23 ppm [16 x 0.13 mi with 45-second rest between reps]
Cooldown: 2.57 mi in 00:22:29 - 8:44 ppm

After I purchased my Brooks Ghost at RFYL, one of the newbies gave me the spiel about how Brooks guarantees the shoes for a short amount of time and if I'm unhappy with the purchase blah blah blah, and maybe I should go easy in them or run on the treadmill just to be sure at first blah blah blah..

I was about two hours late for a workout and running on an empty stomach, so I threw the new shoes in my car and headed to Freedom Park to do some 200s. I slapped them on, tightened them up, made note that they certainly appear heavier than the Defyance, and set off on my Booty Loop/Greenway route. I stopped less than two miles and reset Running Buddy, which wasn't working properly at the moment. Then I programmed it for 16 x 0.13 miles (a little longer than 200 meters). I had wanted to do 24 but figured that was asking too much in the heat of the day.

I had to run up some hills and there were some instances when I had to slow down to cross the street or dodge a car, but for the most part I was glad to be doing my workouts on a surface other than McAlpine. I felt like this was better race simulation, right down to the part where I had to dodge a Toyota Celica at the Upgrade 5k. I feel like I ran pretty hard for the most part. There were some stretches where I ran as fast as 5:05 pace for several repetitions; I ran way over 6:00  pace for a few of them, too, but those were near the end and/or on the sections where I had to slow down due to unforeseen circumstances.

Avoiding some shoe drama would have put me out there earlier this morning, but I got the work done and I'm relatively happy with how it went.

Karhus! -Or not. New shoes, again?

I mentioned in a previous post how I had found the shoes I wanted - the lime-green Karhu Fast 2. I ordered some at Inside-Out Sports, and yesterday I finally got the call that they had arrived. So, I went down there to pick them up this morning, eager to hop in a workout right after the purchase...only to find out that Inside-Out had ordered the wrong size. Not only that, but they would not be getting any Karhus in my size any time in the next eon, or so I was told.

Undaunted, I immediately drove over to the Charlotte Running Company, assuming they still had the pair in my size I had tried on two weeks ago. Not only was this not the case, but the manager claimed they never had that particular shoe in my size. It was as if I was imagining the whole thing.

Extremely daunted, I now shifted my attention to Run For Your Life once more. I have mentioned how I accidentally bought a pair of Saucony trail shoes, with the intention of wearing them when I can at McAlpine, and how I love the New Balance 480, but that they might be too light. Well, I've determined they are in fact too light. Suitable for workouts and races, yes, but not for long runs or other heavy training. Wearing the Brooks Defyance, I once again sought out "Ben" at RFYL and explained my dilemma: most comfortable running shoes I've ever had; stable enough for long-distance training but light enough for racing; worn out on the tread after 300 miles.

Ben looked at my shoes and listened to my explanation of the mileage and said, "Oooo...yeah... ." I told him I'd love to try a different model of Brooks, and he brought back the newest edition of the Ghost - the Ghost 4, actually. I love the way they look, and he told me they'd be a bit lighter than the Defyance. And so, off I went. I figure even if these don't last any longer than the Defyance they'll at least get me to September, which means I won't have to keep dropping dimes on running shoes!

Unexpected Day Off

I did not run today. I spent the morning doing heavy-duty yard work - cutting off limbs and dragging them through the yard, etc. Not a big deal to miss a day when I'm on a six-days-a-week schedule, but I still want to increase it to 7 before too long.

Tempo Fail with Anne Marie

5.81 mi in 00:49:31 - 8:31 ppm

I met Anne Marie at Old Bell at 6 a.m. to "help" with her tempo workout for the day. She was supposed to a 2-mile warmup and cooldown and a 3-mile tempo run, starting at 7:35 pace and dropping. When we got to the park we took off on the course, starting off a bit too quick and then slowing down. She asked me to pace so she wouldn't have to look at her watch, and I don't mind I did a pretty good job getting us slowed down from a quick start to come through the first mile in 7:32. However, I wasn't able to hang around much longer on account of stomach issues once again. Other than cross country base training in high school and college, this is the first time I've really attempted to train hard through the summer months, and it's been a drag. Ah well, fall will be here before we know it, right?

Week in Review

Total Distance: 46.60 mi
Dedicated Time: 05:56:06 h:m:s

This was my longest week of mileage so far this season - not that 46 miles in a week is anything crazy, but it's in the realm of respectability. I ran a much better effort in a 5k this week than I did last week, but Great Harvest is still my best race this season (out of 4). Considering the over-length of the course, it was my fastest pace and most taxing effort. That race occurred back when the temps were still tolerable, however.

I will be toeing the line again this week, albeit on a Sunday evening when it will be grossly hot. So I'm not sure what to expect. After that I will take at least a two-week break from racing and go back to doing two workouts a week. I could probably use those - I seem to be missing some speed endurance. If I'm up for it I'm going to do some 100-meter repeats this week. 

Longest Run of the Season

Distance: 14.14 mi
Time: 01:43:25 - 7:18 ppm
Running Buddy

Two weeks ago I hit 14, for a season-long, and last week I went back down to just over 10, so I wanted to hit 14 or more today. I would have been okay with doing at least 12, but I told myself I'd keep going if I felt all right. The CRC group options for the day were either 6:30 a.m. at Providence Day or 7:00 a.m. at Old Bell (with the same group). I almost made the 6:30 option. I wanted to be able to run the first few miles with them so as not to have to join in when they were already doing sub-7:20 pace. Alas, 7:00 it was.

The group was huge today. Caitlin, Paul, Alex, Jason Martin, Beigay, and a couple more joined us at Old Bell after starting at PDS. Waiting with me at Old Bell were Aaron, Kahn, Boriana, Caleb, Compton, Alana Hadley, both Fillnows - I can't remember everyone. The Hovises met us later down the greenway. I love it when Kahn shows up because he's freakin' hilarious, and this was the first time I got to run with El Presidente, Senor Linz.

After we made it to the park, Paul and Alex took off for a tempo run. We came back through "lower Boyce," as they call it, where I badly turned my left ankle on the trail. Sprained ankles never heal, so it's a recurring issue for me - the left one, especially - not a big deal but it means I'm in for a not-so-fun week. We went back to Old Bell to pick up Meagan Nedlo - who wasn't there - and Boriana called it a day.

I'm still a little weird about running in large groups, so I normally end up setting the pace. It was Caitlin, Jason, and I up front for most of it and we kept it under 7:10 for a good portion. The funny thing about group long runs is how people just drop off and go home one-by-one. You'll be talking to someone, and then all of a sudden they're gone - out of your life again. Very strange. I ran with Caitlin and Jason almost all the way back to Sardis before turning around and heading back to my car all by my lonesome. I got in just over 14 for the day, making this my longest run of the season so far by a hair. I ran a faster pace and felt much better than I did a couple weeks ago, when we ran through Matthews for 14. The slightly cooler weather definitely helped.

2011 Upgrade Lifestyle 5k

Location: Birkdale Village
Warmup: 3.00 mi in 00:24:01 - 7:59 ppm.

Race: Unofficially 3.03 mi in 18:39; officially 18:40, 7th place overall.
Cooldown: 1.68 mi in 00:13:43 - 8:09 ppm.
Running Buddy
Full Results

The 6th-place runner appeared to be just out of reach when I opened up my stride on the last big downhill, with just over half a mile to go. I was kicking but it appeared I had let him get away too early. Suddenly, not even a quarter-mile later, he was coming back to me. Could I catch him? I dug down for one last effort, but it was too little, too late. I had given a much better go at it today than I had last week, and that was all I really wanted.

A few quick highlights and explanations before delving into the details...

• Running Buddy measured right at 1.54-5 miles at the turnaround, meaning this should have been a true 5k to the T. It would appear I cut the tangents so sharply on the way back that I actually ran shorter than the meet directors had intended. Well, isn't that the idea, if possible? It makes sense because they were counting on traffic on both sides of the road for a good portion of the course, and I didn't really follow that idea; I was running through people at one point. It was a fantastic strategy. Everyone else I talked to, including Ben Hovis, measured this one almost exact.
• I started off way too fast again. My first mile was right at 6-flat but I was in the sub-5:30 range at the half-mile mark. Not good.
• Despite the uphills on the way out, this was a fast course. That combined with nearly ideal weather conditions (over 70 but cloudy at gun time) led to many people running much faster than they have lately.

I was up and ready to go at 5:40 a.m. today. I made my pre-race oatmeal, showered, stretched, and did some push-ups before packing my gear and hitting the road. I overestimated the Saturday morning traffic on I-77 and as a result made it to the show even earlier than I'd planned. Megan Hovis, the Fillnow twins, and John Compton were all directing and/or volunteering for the event. I saw Ben and Allen, then Mike Beigay and a couple other guys, and tried to get a feel for what the competition would be like. I was then introduced to Nathan Stanford and Todd Mayes, two guys who I knew to be very fast.

Ben later told me that that was about it as far as the CRC crowd was concerned. I did my warm-up on the course, again uncertain exactly where the turnaround was, and headed back to the Residence Club. Jamaar (cheering), Christi (racing), and Theoden (cheering and taking photos) were all present and accounted for at this point. Allen had mentioned earlier that he didn't feel well, and I soon noticed him walking around in a t-shirt with a towel wrapped around his head, looking like he was about to pass out. He then told me he was going to have to pull out due to sickness, and had given his bib to Jamaar. Well, there goes my plan of racing with Allen. He told me he'd find me a sub-19 guy to chase, and then pointed out a young teenager named Patrick who had been finishing just ahead of him at the GPX events. Patrick was wearing an orange shirt, which made things pretty easy.

The pre-race announcements were mercifully quick as I did some striders with Christi and lined up right behind Hovis. I foolishly wondered if I could beat Beigay, since he would be pushing a stroller (um...no). After an airhorn start, we were off. It was impressive to see Hovis blast out of the gates. It wasn't long before he was completely out of sight; Beigay, Mayes, and Stanford formed a chase pack of three. I got out of the gates way too fast and started slowing down, letting Patrick and 40-something runner Bobby Aswell get ahead of me. We were less than half a mile into the race and my fate, place-wise, was sealed: I would no better than 5th and no worse than 7th.

Herein lied my problem: I wanted to still hit my goal of no faster than 6:00 for the first mile, so I had to slow way down, but then I would have to maintain and be ready to surge, all whilst running up and down some imposing hills. I came through the mile in 6:04 and had to really work to keep the pace from going over 6:10. The uphills really did me in but I saved myself on the downs (note to self: do a freakin' hill workout soon). We passed an aid station and began to approach the turn: surely enough, it was a good bit further down the road than what I had run yesterday. Hovis flew by in the opposite direction and I then caught a glimpse of Compton, standing in the middle of the road right next to a sign that said, "Turn Around." 

I noticed Mayes and Stanford, then Bobby and Patrick in front of me make the turn without going around Compton, so I did the same. I tried to go wide without running off the road, came to a nearly complete stop, turned my arms, went off into the grass, and nearly took out a mailbox. I heard John chuckle and say, "Nice turn." Yeah yeah, whatever... I noticed the Garmin had read 1.53 miles before I got to him so I happily guessed we'd be running a true 5k. 

It was now time to get to work, and I was hurting. Bobby and Patrick were still within my grasp but they weren't slowing down and I couldn't seem to get any faster. I just kept looking at the watch, trying not to slow down too much as opposed to actually speeding up. I hoped I had some turnover left to shoot down the big hill and into the finish, but it would be a fight. It would have been nice to have more than two guys to race with, but hey... On the next uphill, Bobby began to pull away from Patrick, and he began to pull away from me. We reached the big downhill and I opened it up but it appeared to be nowhere nearly enough. 

Seemingly out of nowhere, Patrick appeared to be slowing down. I knew I had sub-19 in the bag but I wanted to catch him. I tried to dig down but there just wasn't much left and he sped up just enough to slay me. I came through the chute in a time of 18:39.

As discussed, there was much talk post-race about how this was indeed a surprisingly fast course. Anytime you have a mostly downhill finish, when everyone is kicking anyway, that will lead to some fast times. Christi especially blew it out of the water, running sub-20 by a good bit. I met her, Jamaar, and Sarah Keen (with a cameo appearance by Leonard Hilliard) at Toast in Davidson for some tasty post-race breakfast. 

Some photos, with many thanks to Theoden Janes a.ka. "Run with Theoden."...

Pre-race. Always, always, always messing with my laces.

Hovis (in black, far right) fast out of the gates.

Too close to the leaders for so early. (From left: Patrick, Beigay and his child, and Hovis).

Still ahead of Mayes (back) and Stanford (in hat) a quarter-mile in.

Trying to reel in the youngster. Patrick is young but he's fast and ran a surprisingly smart race (Megan's coaching??) for someone his age.

Sarah, myself, Christi, Jamaar, and Layla (the pup). Glad to be done!

'Til next time, people. Thanks for stopping in.

Upgrade Lifestyle Course Preview

Distance: 2.98 mi
Time: 00:22:37 - 7:34 ppm
Running Buddy

This morning I headed up to Huntersville to pick up my race packet and check out the course I'm supposed to run tomorrow. The added bonus to this trip is I got to use the sweet navigation system on my Android for the first time. I also used the Places application to find a good breakfast spot after the run, but hey, we're not here to talk about my phone.

I pulled into a suburban golf neighborhood across the street from Birkdale Village and into the Birkdale Residence Club. Here, a very friendly woman  handed me a bag of goodies that included my race number, timing ribbon (what the timing piece will be is always a fun guess at these random events), and the latest in what is beginning to be a large pile of race t-shirts. She then directed me to a map on the wall that showed the course.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have an out-and-back course! I have never run one of those before! Now, this could be exciting! It appeared we start on the street adjacent to the club and run to the end of the road and back. The map made it look like we would turn around right past a street called Bridgeford, but in doing so I measured the course short. I have a feeling we are actually expected to run to the cul-de-sac and back.

The course mostly climbs for the first 1.5 miles or so, but you know what that means? It's downhill the last half. There are some slight inclines and declines in either trip but the big hills will be ups at the beginning and downs at the end. My plan is to start out rather pedestrian at the beginning - maybe as slow as 6:10 pace - and then be prepared to let the legs fly with about a mile to go.

We'll see what happens. I don't really know what to expect as far as time. Really, I just want to see a better effort out of myself, especially after last week.

Anne Marie's Pick-Up Run

Distance: 8.00 mi
Time: 01:06:10 - 8:16 ppm
Running Buddy

I met Anne Marie at the Dowd Y to do what she had scheduled for today: an 8-mile run with a pickup at the end. I'm not really sure what to call this one - it's not a tempo run, but certainly not an easy run. Pickup run? Fast finishing run? Oh well, let's not worry about semantics.

So far I am 0-for-2 in meeting the Dowd crowd on Wednesdays, and I can see I'm missing out. It appears to be  a big group both days. Today I saw Paul, Jamaar, Jason Martin, the Fillnows, the Crockfords, and a few more I didn't recognize. Hopefully I'll wake up in time next week, folks!

We were scheduled to run 8:30 pace (or so I thought) for the first five miles and then drop it down to 8 or under for the last three. We ran from the Y towards the NASCAR museum and then decided to run on the Little Sugar Creek greenway, since she had never run on it before. Our first five splits were 8:30, 8:18, 8:30, 8:26, and 8:29.

We began picking it up, running 7:54, 8:06 up some hills, and then 7:53 for our last three miles. I think we started out faster than she wanted but she maintained her form and got the work done, including some tough uphills near the end.

Since I'm racing this week, this was a bit further than I wanted to go but the slower pace should make up for it. I'll just keep it simple tomorrow - course preview shakeout run up in Birkdale and that's it!

Summer Breeze Re-Hash

Distance: 6.01 mi
Time: 00:46:21 - 7:42 ppm
Running Buddy

I found myself at Freedom Park today, which is not the least bit unusual; however, instead of running one of my normal loops I decided I wanted to run the Summer Breeze course again. I just can't get over that Queens Road hill. I run it all the time. It was long, sure, and this course was certainly a lot harder than I gave it credit for previously. But I just can't get why I didn't think it was necessary to surge up the hill. I would have been sapped, sure, but then would have had a long downhill and a flat half-mile finish. Still shaking my head...

The good news is I'm not just continuing to whine about a poor performance: I am racing again this Saturday. I have no idea what the course will be like; Allen Strickland implied that it will be tough. I'm not really going for time, anyway, I just want to see a better effort out of myself.

After I finished the course I ran up some side roads and back down Park Road/Scott Avenue. I got in about six easy miles for the day. I'm glad I got my workout over with yesterday.

Hot Quarters

Warmup: 2.04 mi in 15:51 - 7:46 ppm
Workout: 12 x 1/4-mile at better than goal race pace with 60-second rest between reps.
Cooldown: 1.89 mi in 15:24 - 8:09 ppm
Running Buddy

I started off in the morning, a little later than planned but it wasn't too bad out - or so I thought originally. I headed to McAlpine to put in some work. I finished a warmup from Sardis to the park and ran into Megan Hovis, who was coaching a group of kids. Yesterday, I signed up for her race (she and some others are volunteering at Upgrade Lifestyle 5k) and she told me that Ben would be racing as well. I think Allen Strickland, whom I met at the post-race breakfast Saturday, is running that one as well, so there should be some decent competition.

I was running 12 true quarter-miles, a workout I did at UNCC about 7 weeks ago, and I performed much better this time. I faded a bit at the end, wilting in the heat, but I had plenty of turnover in the early portions. I think some company could have done me a lot of good in the middle sections, where I slowed, and the short rest (only a minute) was a factor, as well.

But I got in a solid workout. I had a brief moment of panic before I started my cooldown. After the warmup I had stopped at the park to use the bathroom. I was ready to run back to my car when I noticed my metal key was not wrapped around my finger, as it was supposed to be. I headed back to the bathroom, knowing I had left it there, and began wrapping my mind around the logistics of running all the way back home (7 miles? 8 miles). But mostly I just hoped it was still there - and it was. I ran a shorter cooldown than normal on account of being ready to just get the hell out of the blazing hot sun. Good day, though.

Week in Review

Total Distance: 42.71 mi
Dedicated Time: 05:23:44 h:m:s

I finally got back in the forties this week mileage-wise, and finally made myself start getting out the door earlier in this heat. I ran a poor race Saturday but that was more due to the previous three weeks than it was this past. I need to get back to the line, and I have a couple options for this week, one of which includes McAlpine once again. 

A Shorter Long Run

Distance: 10.39 mi
Time: 01:16:16 - 7:20 ppm
Running Buddy

I met up with Brinkley for the Sunday long run a little later than I wanted. It was Dave's idea and I was fine with it because I had to work late the night before and didn't get a nap after the race. We would suffer for it, however. Alex Wernikoff was at the park waiting for us, having already done 6 miles on his own, and the three of us set off down the trails for a bit. We were due to come back and get Mitchell and his wife, Meg, twenty minutes later.

Alex, unlike us, was awake and warmed up and it wasn't long before we were running 7:10 pace. I pleaded with him to let us get warmed up first, or go on without us, and eventually I just dropped back and ran alone as we made our back to the lot to get Mitchell.

I peppered Mike with questions about his North Meck days and what his former teammates were now doing, and we rolled along at a surprisingly consistent pace. Talk eventually shifted to marathon training, how Mitchell and I need to just get to the starting line this year and then we'll tear it up. Alex is running Savannah, Mike's in line for NYC and Dave and I have not decided yet.

Towards the end of the run I started picking up the pace and Mike and Dave came with me. We ran 6:51 for mile 10 and got down to 6:30 pace for the last half-mile. And yes, that's faster than I ran in my second mile of yesterday's race.

Speaking of yesterday's race, I'm still pretty bitter about the whole thing. I've always wanted to run a race that finishes around the lake at Freedom Park, and when I had the chance, I blew it. I'll get a chance to run a better race soon but suffice it to say that I'll be at Summer Breeze in 2012!

2011 Summer Breeze 5k

Location: Freedom Park.
Warmup: 2.72 mi in 21:53 - 8:02 ppm.
Race: unofficially 3.13 mi in 19:32 - 6:14 ppm; officially 19:33, 43rd overall.
Cooldown: 1.84 mi in 16:04 - 8:43 ppm
Running Buddy
Race Results

This one...did not go well. For starters, I could not have expected much after basically taking it easy for the last three weeks. I had only done one workout in that time period, and it was the very short one that Eggers and I completed at Marion Diehl this past Tuesday. The time off had not done anything to shake my fitness, but it hadn't helped, and it really took my mind off racing and sapped the competitive edge. When the going got tough this morning, I pulled a LeBron James. Only for me, there was no Dwyane Wade to pass the ball to when I didn't know what to do with it. It was just me, and I was left to stew in my own disappointment for hours after this one was over.

Let's go back to the beginning. There's one thing I've done right lately, and that's train my body to get up around 5:30 every morning. This made for an easy start to the day as I made my pre-race oatmeal with over two hours to spare before I was due to toe the line. Run For Your Life separates the men and women in this one; they start at 7:30 and we go off at 8:00. I took my sweet time getting ready and rolled in to Freedom Park around 7:15.

I began my warmup and went to pick up my chip, running into Eggers in the process. I guess he wanted to make sure he got here early enough, this time :)  Brinkley was doing his warmup from home, and he arrived a few minutes later as Eggers and I took off for a warmup and to see the ladies finish up. We ran away from the park up Sterling Road and watched as Michelle Hazelton came through first. I stuck around to cheer for Christi Carter, Emily, and Anne Marie and then Eggers told me that we only had five minutes until gun time. The women's race had clearly started late, so I figured they would keep the 30-minute difference and start ours late, as well.

I was wrong. I got to the starting line and the race directors were already giving out instructions. It was disgustingly humid and I was soaked after a nearly-three-mile warmup. I did some quick striders and hurried back to the line. The baby joggers were sent off and I wished good luck to Paul, Jay, Eggers, and Mike Mitchell - who, like me, chose this race over the one at McAlpine at the last minute. Brinkley was somewhere on the other side of the starting grid. I then noticed my shoe was untied. The director was literally counting down as I re-tied it with a few seconds to spare, and then....Go!

When I previewed this course, I was jogging around talking to Anne Marie and not really paying attention to where we were. The course starts out with a steep incline, then levels, then another incline up Cumberland Avenue towards East Boulevard (reference the map above). Despite the rough start I got out of the gates significantly quicker than normal. Mitchell had shot off with the leaders, Brinkley was right in front of me, and Eggers was nowhere in sight. I ran better than 5:40 pace for the first half mile and then backed off a good bit. We turned on East and I surged ahead to take the lead of the chase pack, with Brinkley now about 5 seconds ahead of me, at the back of the lead pack. After a crowded, quick start, everyone seemed to be calming down. We turned right on Queens Road and approached the mile marker. I passed Mike Kahn, who yelled out, "Yeah, Blackwood! Get that hill!"

Hmm..Get that hill... I came through the opening mile in 5:51 and began the long, slow climb up Queens Road...and the competitive side of my brain - usually quite strong - slowly began shutting off. I felt a bit devoid of energy, but otherwise the system seemed to be fine. People started passing me, and I just didn't do anything about it. Eventually, Eggers came by, and he even shouted some encouragement, no doubt witnessing my demise this whole time from a point below and now front-center. A few more people passed me as we finally turned off Queens and passed the two-mile marker. I don't remember seeing my time at that point, but the watch later revealed a 6:41 - 6:41!!! - second mile. I've been known to run faster miles on easy days and long runs. Clearly, that was the race right there. Did I start out too fast? Yes, I did. But there's no way I couldn't have still run about a 6:10 for mile two, which would have sent me well on the way to going under 19. I simply did not race.

Giving Emily and Anne Marie the very enthusiastic "thumbs down" with about half a mile to go.
[photo by Christi Carter].

I can at least say that no one passed me in the last mile, and when I went by a screaming Kahn again near the finish I managed to pull out a decent kick. I came through the chute in an official time of 19:33, significantly slower than what I ran at Great Harvest on what should have been a much faster course. (Running Buddy even measured the course to be accurate, which is apparently a GPX rarity.)

Mitchell finished sixth overall, Brinkley ran 18:14 - and Anne Marie actually set a new PR! Other than that, however, most people I talked to had a bad race by his or her own standards. Paul won easily but has run much faster recently; Billy Shue ran much slower than usual (but still a very solid 17:25) and suffered from severe fatigue and nausea afterwards; Eggers ran 19:06; the list could go on and on. The conditions were certainly a factor; apparently the dew point level was just below the "don't even go outside" mark.

I was - and still am - pissed off. I'm not about to make any excuses. I simply let myself get distracted the last few weeks, and it led to a bad race. It happens, and as Jay told me afterwards, "it's a long summer." I'm not blaming the weather, and I'm looking forward to getting out there again in order to make some better memories!

Jay and B-Mac's Last Stand

Distance: 7.17 mi
Time: 00:52:14 - 7:16 ppm
Running Buddy

This was the final meet-up run for Jay Holder and Brian McMahon, both of whom are moving in the near future. A group of about twenty of us met at the Sardis lot to get in a run together.

This run will forever be known for three things: the last run for Jay, the last run for Brian...and the day that Billy Shue swam across the pond, losing his shorts in the process. For those unfamiliar with McAlpine, just trust me when I tell you that this pond is disgusting. Some of us were genuinely concerned for Billy's health - that he might get a rash, grow a third arm, or come out of the water with three poisonous snakes coiled around his head. Things went from funny to bizarre to borderline frightening when Billy revealed to all that he had lost his shorts. At first we thought he was joking, but it quickly became apparent that he was not.

As Billy fished around in the toxic water for his shorts, the three women in our group - Megan Hovis, Jordan's girlfriend, and Carolyn Maye - quickly darted off around the other side of the lake. There was a genuine fear in the air as Billy arose out of the water...to reveal that he was wearing underwear beneath his running shorts. I don't know what's more strange: the fact that Billy somehow lost his shorts in the water, and didn't realize it - or the fact that he was wearing white boxer-briefs under his running shorts (and thank the Good Lord that he was).

Kahn found a shirt for Billy to wrap around his waist for the two-mile run back to the Sardis lot, but as far as I know he didn't wear it. I didn't bother to look. I joined Jason and Carolyn in setting the pace up front as we headed back.

Kahn had been going around with a camera phone, asking everyone to mention their thoughts for Jay. I hadn't had a chance to really get to know him, but gave him a shout-out for starting the club, seeing as how joining the CRC is one of the smartest things I've done, personally speaking, in a long time. There is, apparently, video evidence of Billy running back with us in his underwear, then later going back to try to find his shorts. I can't speak for Jay and Brian, but I know I'll be laughing about this one for awhile.

I'll leave you with some excerpts from Billy's Athleticore entry (copied with his permission):

[Training Run] Planned on just running 4 easy miles, but since this was Jay and Brian's last big group run before moving, I wanted to stay with them and the group and really enjoy this last run with them. The group today was Paul, Ben, Megan, Beigay, Jamaar, Greg Shore, myself, Stephen, Meagan, Jordan, Kahn, Alex, Jason Martin, Jay, Brian, Carolyn, Stan, Mo, Matt, John F, and Jason B (today's run list was obtained from Megan's athleticore).

Had to send the boys out with a bang, so I swam across the shorter width of the lake, but lost my shorts in the process - good thing I was wearing my briefs on underneath, but I really liked those shorts! I tried to sweep around with my feet and hands under the water, but couldn't find them. I'd try again later...

Hopefully I won't grow an extra body part or have my male reproductive system messed up - if my future wife one day gives birth to a baby who only has one eye, 3 eyes, or an arm growing out of his/her face or shoulder, I'll know why.

Interesting run back to Old Bell with the group, with me pulling a Vicente Hernandez and just running in my underwear briefs!

[Training Swim] Swam across the McAlpine lake (the shorter width) for Jay and Brian's sendoff! Lost my shorts though, but at least had my briefs on underneath - made for an interesting run back to Old Bell!

[Training Run #2] Kahn very graciously gave me a ride back to the park for me to get my key which I had inadvertenly hidden in the grass when I swam across the McAlpine lake (Paul had very graciously picked up my shoes and socks but couldn't see the key hidden under the grass). I got the key and told Mike he could just head home since I was going to look for my shorts again. BMac watched my 2nd attempt at trying to find the shorts, along with plenty of others who came out jogging, walking, or fishing (one guy) at the lake. I still couldn't find the shorts! Maybe they'll surface at some point! I just swept with my hands and feet under the water with my eyes closed - no way was I going to open my eyes without goggles in that water!!

I jogged back to Old Bell again in my underwear, but with the shirt Mike gave me hopefully concealing the briefs from the front, but I did have to pass a few people on the way back and also saw Donny Forsyth and a group of younger kids (high-school/college) who could tell right off the bat I was running in my underwear. I also passed by the woman who I creeped out with the skull back around Halloween - I could tell she was creeped out again. When I got back to Old Bell, BMac was detailing the event to James Haycraft, who was enthused by the whole thing.

I think I creeped out a woman with her kids at Old Bell - they were going to go for a walk or something on the greenway but they pulled in, stepped out of the car, saw me, got back into the car, and drove off.

We love you, Billy. Please don't let your shorts come off in the race tomorrow, because I can't run fast enough to stay ahead of you.

Summer Breeze Course Preview

Distance: 7.17 mi
Time: 01:00:29 - 8:26 ppm
Running Buddy

As of this morning I had not yet decided what, if any, my racing plans would be for this weekend. The Summer Breeze 5k near Freedom Park is the latest in the GPX series, but there's also a race at McAlpine (cue worship music) on Saturday. The pros for McAlpine are as follows: my favorite course and a true 5k distance, a chance to gauge improvement on a course I raced five weeks ago, and a chance to garner top-5 placing and the prize money that goes with it. The cons are the 9 a.m. start (hot!) and the lack of competition, which could make it difficult to really run my best.

I met up with Anne Marie early this morning and we set off down Park Road at 6 a.m. sharp to run the Summer Breeze course. If McAlpine is my favorite place to run then the Freedom Park/Booty Loop area is definitely my second-favorite, and that's where we found ourselves. The course starts out somewhat hilly, goes down East Blvd. past the park entrance, and then out on the Booty Loop for a bit. The last mile, however, is downhill and fast, and the race finishes around the lake at the park - awesome!

I waffled for a good bit later in the day in between work and running errands, but as of 2:30 p.m. I have registered for Summer Breeze. The allure of finishing at Freedom Park and being able to race with my friends was too much to pass up. Plus, the women will be racing separately in this one, which will greatly thin out the pack at the start in addition to giving us all the rare opportunity to cheer on our friends. We'll see what happens.

Did I Learn How to Pace?

Distance: 5.61 mi
Time: 00:41:58 - 7:29 ppm
Running Buddy

Don't ask me how this happened, but I ran the same time - 7:28 - for three of my five-plus miles today. The proof is right there in the Running Buddy link. Surely, this must be an accident, right? Or did someone who is horrible at pacing himself finally learn how to do it? Considering I'm starting to figure out how to use the Garmin, this could be a breakthrough...but let's not get too excited until it starts happening on a regular basis.

On a side note, I did some shoe shopping today - again - and found what I want: the Karhu Fast 2. These bad boys are light, they're comfortable - and they look sick!! The only problem is they're not cheap, and my size (13) is hard to find because it's not a popular shoe. I may hold off and whip 'em out when marathon training starts.

Track Time with Eggers

Warmup: 1.6 mi in 14:46 - 9:15 ppm
Workout: 3 x 400-300-200 meters with 60 seconds between reps and 90 seconds between sets.
Cooldown: 1.36 mi in 11:42 - 8:34 ppm
Goal:  Short workout to re-gain some foot speed and turnover after a two-week break.

I really love my new shoes. They almost feel like racing flats, but they're just a little heavier. I hope they hold up and that they don't prove to be too light. I awoke at 5:30 a.m. this morning and drove over to Daniel Eggers' house to meet him for a workout. We headed over to Marion Diehl Park on Tyvola, right across the street from his neighborhood.

Eggers tried to get us both killed by leading the way through a dark, twisting, rooted trail in the woods across from his neighborhood. Luckily, we survived the warmup and made it to the park. This was my first experience at Marion Diehl. There is a decent-sized facility at the front, a field or two, and an asphalt track enclosing a soccer field and some bleachers.

We wanted to run a few 400s, 300s, and 200s at faster than race pace, and we accomplished that goal. My breathing was very heavy at the start but by the third set I felt fantastic. Eggers led the way for awhile and then I took over at the end, spurred on by knowing he was right there to push me. This is the first time I've done a workout with another person since....the mile repeats at McMullen with Brinkley? It really makes a huge difference.

I used Running Buddy to keep an eye on my mile pace but I didn't set it up for a workout. Here are our splits, via Eggers: 1:21, 1:01, 0:37; 1:16, 1:01, 0:36; 1:19, 1:02, 0:32. Not including rest, our accrued average pace was 5:04 per mile. Eggers had to get to work and I debated doing more, but was unusually dehydrated so we cooled down back to his house and called it a day. If I don't race this week I'm definitely doing a second workout, so I'm satisfied with the day's work.

Week in Review

Total Distance: 32.63 mi
Dedicated Time: 04:04:47 h:m:s

For whatever reason, I have been behaving very well lately on weekends and losing my focus during the week. You would think it would be the other way around but obviously the job is a big factor there. I skipped a workout for the second week in a row in the hopes of refreshing the legs, but I also got in my longest run of the season at 14 miles. I really feel like these group CRC long runs are increasing my fitness, and I aim to keep showing up for them.

As for that training plan, I'm getting there. I want to start running every day - even if it's just 2 or 3 miles - on the harder weeks. For this week I am going to do a workout Tuesday, then Wednesday make up my mind about a race on Saturday. If I choose not to race there will be a second workout Thursday morning. The weekend long run will need to be shorter than last week by 2 miles or so, and the rest of the days will be easy! How does that sound?

Humid Shakeout

Distance: 6.35 mi
Time: 00:46:15 - 7:16 ppm
Running Buddy

I had meant to get in a quick 3-5 miles early this morning before helping my sister get the girls back to Savannah, but the infant woke up early, thereby changing our schedule. I followed her almost all the way to I-95; including stops, I was on the highway for almost 8 hours. When I got back, I had an urge to use the legs and try out my new shoes.

New Balance has unveiled a new numbering system for its shoes, and I got the 480, which as I understand it is the base version of their high-mileage performance series. If I like this shoe I may consider upgrading to the 880 next time; the 880 is basically New Balance's version of popular shoes such as the Nike Pegasus, the Mizuno Wave Rider, and the Brooks Defyance, the shoe I just discarded. Clearly, I'm in the process of trying to find a brand, or just switching around until I get something I like. I have deemed Nikes too uncomfortable for the foreseeable future so I'll keep shopping around.

Anyway, I felt surprisingly fantastic today. It was over 90 and humid and I was coming off a tough long run, but I felt great and just cruised along. The shoes are very light and made me feel fast. One can never have too many psychological edges, so I'm happy to have another for now.

I also think these fast (for me) long runs are starting to increase my fitness. Not only did this pace feel easy today but the distance also seemed very short. I ran out on the greenway for a bit, turned around, and I was done.

Touring Matthews

Distance: 14.00 mi
Time: 01:44:44 - 7:28 ppm
Running Buddy

I woke up at 5:30 this morning, unsure if I wanted to try a workout or join the CRC group of Paul and a few others for a long run...and it's this lack of organization that beckons a structured training plan in my life. I've been working on it through Athleticore, and researching some more ideas for workouts, but for right now I just need to get the discipline I'm displaying on weekends to carry over to the week.

I knew I'd end up joining the group after going back to sleep for a while, and I made it to the Sardis lot just before 7 a.m. Soon, I was joined by Ben Hovis, Paul, Jay Holder, Billy Shue, Mike Kahn - whom I met for the first time - and two other guys. I was wearing the Saucony trail shoes, so I was a little surprised when Hovis led the group up Sardis Road, away from the greenway. Billy and Paul later told me we'd be running through Matthews for a bit as a break from the park. Fair enough, but I had a feeling I'd be buying a second new pair of shoes after this run (and I was right).

Hovis looped us through downtown Matthews and eventually to a greenway just off Trade Street, where we all promptly got lost. The pace stayed conversational, though it did dip down below 7:10 for at least one mile after starting off easy. Our group wandered down the greenway and ended up right near the Matthews exit of I-485 - a little off the beaten path, for sure - before heading back into the town. I started to feel a bit rough about 10 miles into this. This pace is quicker than I used to do for long runs, sure, but it didn't bother me at all last week or the week before. I attribute it to poor nutrition for most of this week.

I stopped to re-lace my shoes as they were most definitely bothering me, being on the roads and all, but I caught back up to the group when they stopped to find water at a church. I led the way down Fullwood and back to 51 before slowing down for good. I was nearing that "barrier point" where I was about to reach recently-uncharted territory as far as distance is concerned. I definitely hit a major wall before mile 12, but I was pleasantly surprised to look at the watch afterward and find that I still kept those last 2 miles under 8-minute pace, despite the pain.

I was soon joined at the park by Jay and Kahn, and we sang Happy Birthday to Kahn's son rather enthusiastically. I have to say this run hurt but as I write this I have since done yard work, chased my niece around the yard a good bit, gone out and bought some new shoes, and grilled steaks and chicken for the whole family (sis goes back home tomorrow). So clearly, I recovered just fine. Hopefully I'll finally do what I've been saying I need to do for weeks - starting eating clean again. Either way, it's nice to once again up the distance barrier by a few miles. I'm really hoping the recent long runs will do wonders for me, especially since I've taken a two-week break from any kind of speed work.

It all gets going again this week. 

Another Easy One

Distance: 4.89 mi
Time: 00:37:42 - 7:42 ppm
Running Buddy

I didn't intend for things to be so easy these last two weeks, but we'll just let it be my tapering session, as discussed previously. We can't train and race hard all summer; there need to be breaks so I guess this was one of mine. A break hasn't involved any workouts yet but I may do one tomorrow, and I hope to get in another decently quick long run on Sunday.

I've been busy at work this week and I haven't had time to put together a long-term schedule yet, but I have been messing around on Athleticore. It looks to be a good way to compare workouts with others.

Break from the Heat

Distance: 7.38 mi
Time: 00:56:04 - 7:35 ppm
Running Buddy

I didn't get out there as early as planned today, but as promised we've had a break from the heat. It was 84 degrees instead of 97 and I could tell a big difference as I ran a route at McAlpine that I've now done at least the last three Tuesdays in a row. I guess I got sick of that Freedom Park route for the time being, after all. Through the last mile of the course I started thinking about past races - and future races - and as a result the pace dropped a good bit.

So far I think I've been training pretty smart, cutting back here and there and increasing little by little every other week. That is good. What's bad is that I continue going into each week without really knowing what I'm going to do, and just making it up on the fly. I need to lay out a long-term training plan and adjust it or stick to it accordingly. Even if I'm the one writing it, a structured plan would probably do me some good.

Week in Review

Total Distance: 26.01 mi
Dedicated Time: 03:18:20 h:m:s

I mentioned that I felt it was time for an easy week, but this honestly wasn't what I had in mind. I got in a good long run this week, but that's about it. I feel my problems lately are mostly psychological and I have a plan to get through them. This heavy training, and everything that goes with it, represents an enormous lifestyle change for me. It's a positive change, but enormous nonetheless. Another runner told me recently that it's important to just keep at it, to get into a routine, and then all else will fall into place. I'm not quite there yet but I'm getting closer. I suppose the good news here is that I feel like I'm way off the chosen path and still running decent times.

I got some new shoes, and despite the fact I hate how they look, they feel pretty good so far - 20 miles in. Hopefully they have about another 400 in them?? For whatever reason I really want Saucony to be the one right now for trainers; Nikes may not be beatable for durability but I had comfort issues with them, hence the desire to switch in the first place. After running a quick 10 miles today in some new shoes I can say I'm pretty happy so far with the Saucony Grid.

I ran roughly 42 miles last week. I'm interesting in continuing to increase the mileage. I do want to run some fast 5Ks, but given my injury recovery I won't realistically be a factor in the GPX until at least next year. At some point I need to prepare my body for marathon training again, so I'm going to continue upping the miles...carefully.

Group Run at McAlpine

Distance: 10.23 mi
Time: 01:14:31 - 7:16 ppm
Running Buddy

In keeping with the plan to do long runs with a (fast) group, I peeped the CRC Facebook page to see the main long run option involved McAlpine for this week. I think I can go ahead and state for all future references that McAlpine is simply the best place to run in the Charlotte area. There is nowhere else that offers the combination of easy access, a soft surface, potential miles of trails, and a legendary race course. There is nowhere else in Charlotte that could be considered a legendary race course; nevermind the other factors.

I was the first to drive up for this group run, and I finally met CRC co-founder Jay Holder for the first time as we waited to see who else would show up. It quickly became apparent that we would have a good-sized group, especially considering the 6:30 a.m. Sunday morning start. Jay and I were quickly joined by a middle-aged black guy named A.J., then Alex Wernikoff, Paul Mainwaring, Jason Martin, Caitlin Chrisman, Stephen Spada, and at least two other dudes whom I don't know.

We headed down the greenway at an easy 7:40-ish pace, with yours truly fully aware that it wouldn't stay that slow for long. Paul turned around after less than a mile; I'm assuming he had started an hour earlier. Jay asked me a few questions about my car and I turned into a Hyundai Motor salesman for about five minutes. Believe me, they are making the best cars for the mainstream buyer right now. I'm not saying that because I have one; I have one because I know this to be true.

John Compton joined us at the park and our group headed towards Harris Boulevard. Jay, Caitlin, and I had been setting the pace for awhile and I eventually eased towards the back to have a few words with Compton. I had noticed he missed the latest GPX race, King Tiger, and I asked him about it, assuming he wasn't really training for the series. I figured this was his year to win it but he told me that his coaching duties and several high-level out-of-town races would pull him away from the series for most of the year. I guess that means it's Paul's for the taking (Paul won King Tiger easily in a time of 16:08).

As discussed previously, I actually do enjoy running alone - it's just that I want to get faster and the solo stuff isn't going to help. Running in a large group on a narrow greenway is a new experience once again; at one point I threw back my left arm to stretch and nearly took off A.J.'s head in the process. But all in all, I think it will work wonders and I consider myself a regular amongst the Sunday group runs from here on out. The pace was quick for a long run, as we clipped along in the low 7s for most of it, but the conversation and the large group made it go by fast. When I wasn't joining Compton and Caitlin in making fun of Chris Elder I was talking NBA Finals with Jason and some guy I don't know.

We got back to the park and Compton, Martin, and myself split off from the group to visit the water fountain and the bathroom. We would fail to re-up but it was just as well for me as I was over 8 miles in with a 2-mile run back to my car. I ran back with Jason and we reeled off 7-flat pace for the last one-mile-plus. We discussed coaching some more and as I prepared to head home he took off back down the greenway - saying something about having another 45 minutes for today's run.

Getting the run out of the way early does wonders for me. Logistically speaking, it makes sense because it's 20 degrees cooler, but it also sets the tone for the rest of the day. I already feel like I've accomplished that one thing, that GREAT thing, and whatever other travails throw themselves my way for the rest of the day, I will be all right.

Life is good.

Slowing it Down Some

Distance: 6.40 mi
Time: 00:50:17/7:51 ppm
Running Buddy

Well, it's Thursday and I've yet to do a workout, partly because I didn't have time this morning and partly because my body is telling me it's time for a break. Once I had the go-ahead to start training again in late March, I wasted no time increasing the mileage about 15% each week. It wasn't long until I was doing a workout every week, then either two workouts plus a race. Nothing feels achy, knock on wood, but I am a bit worn down mentally and would like to enjoy relaxing for the rest of the week. I do hope to get in a decent long run, since I missed one a couple weeks ago, but that's going to be about it for this week. I feel like I'm doing the right thing. 

Shoe Shopping?! Already?!

Distance: 3.00 mi
Time: 23:45/7:53 ppm

As discussed, the Brooks Defyance 4, for which I paid about $100.00, are at the end of the road after fewer than 300 miles. The Nike Dart 8, a basic neutral trainer that cost $40, lasted 501 miles - 501!!! - for me last fall. Granted, that was too much; I probably could have done well to park them after 400. But still - that's over 100 more miles than the Brooks! And I run on the trails a lot, too!

Anyway, I decided I'd take advantage of my ability to wear a neutral shoe by buying something basic again, and I went with the Saucony Grid Cohesion. I found a sweet Air Force-blue edition on Eastbay but I didn't want to wait a week for it to get here so I went ahead and bought what Dick's had to offer: a dark grey style that likely looks very funny on me, but oh well. I ran around my parents' neighborhood in them and they felt pretty good. I can probably get a few more miles out of the Brooks but I feel like I have a decent shoe for when they finally kick the bucket. Also - and this is the exciting part - I think I've picked out a pair of racing flats for the next time I decide to toe the line.

Stay tuned!

P.S. No Running Buddy details for this run because I left it at home.