Week in Review

Total Distance: 44.42 mi.
Dedicated Time: 5:33:23 h:m:s.

I had a solid, consistent week of training. I wasn't quite ready to turn the volume yet this past week, but it was nice to have a much shorter, faster long run. For the first time all year, I have also begun to think hard about the race and really focus on it. I can't say everything feels perfect right now, but for the most part I feel very healthy and fit, and I'm getting excited about ripping this thing in half!

CRC Help

Distance: 13.21 mi.
Time: 1:37:44 - 7:24 ppm.

I had tentative plans to meet Eggers and Brinkley at 8:00 at Old Bell. The possibility of a missed connection was detailed the night before, so I wasn't that surprised when I got to the lot and neither of them were there. I was glad I was there, though. I wanted to get this thing out of the way. My plan was to run up the road and try to find the CRC group of Aaron, Megan, Jason, and Kahn. I had a long-sleeve dry-fit on top of a short-sleeve dry-fit with my longer running shorts and a hat. I honestly felt fine except for my hands: I hadn't been able to locate my running gloves, a problem that will need to be rectified sooner rather than later. I took off down the greenway and hadn't yet made it to the park when I found Megan Hovis and Jason Martin. It felt like a reunion: I really enjoyed running with them over the summer, and it had been awhile.

Megan told me later that she barely recognized me at first on account of how much weight I had lost. Truth be told, it's a lot. I weighed 218 in March, before I had recovered from my injury; I weighed 205 this summer, even when I was training hard; today, before my run I weighed 187. I don't think I have weighed under 190 since right after college. This is an accomplishment. Body fat, not weight, is the important thing for health reasons, but when it comes to moving fast, I need to be light! Kahn said something about my weight earlier, as well: "I can tell even with layers on that you've lost a lot of weight. Your face is still ugly, but thinner, ya know?" Love that guy.

At various parts of this run, I found myself with Jason and Megan; Jason, Megan, Ben, and Compton; Aaron and the Matenas plus the rest and Mike Mitchell; and towards the end, just Mitchell and Compton. I greatly enjoyed the conversation and the faster pace. It's a good group. I ran my last mile - solo - in 6:45.

Thinking about the Race

Distance: 6.88 mi.
Time: 51:59 - 7:33 ppm.

I ran from home today to do an easy 45-60 minutes on the roads. I was thinking about the marathon. By the time I had made it to Pecan Avenue, in Plaza-Midwood, I was on the course. I ran the section of it that goes through the neighborhoods and imagined myself trying to hold it together while passing crowds of beer drinkers and supporters (you know...assuming they'll actually be there). I ran down a side street and turned right on Hawthorne Avenue, up the "taker of souls" hill. Then I ran down Central Avenue, turned on 7th Street, and went home.

P Stone Double

Distance: 4.41 mi.
Time: 30:35 - 6:57 ppm.

This run occurred over an hour after I was done at McAlpine, and after my cooldown, so I'm calling today a double. I joined the Charlotte Runners at the Philosopher's Stone. I wasn't really interested in the costume run shenanigans; today was my workout day and I had some unfinished business. I had cut my workout short but given some time to recover I was determined to go hard on this run if I was feeling fresh.

I started off easy with Jeremy Gray and Jim Cristini (Jim and Thomas Long were running in costumes) but when we hit the hill on Dotger, I took off. There were some fast guys who showed up for this one but I had caught everyone else shortly after crossing Laurel. It was tonight's run that led to me realizing that the map on Meetup was wrong. I thought I had run the right route in the wrong direction last week but apparently there is another whole loop that I had left out. The guy behind me was kind enough to yell out instructions every time I wandered in the wrong direction. My splits for this run were 7:27, 6:34, 6:34, 7:08, and 2:50 (6:59 pace for the last 0.41).

I had one beer and some food with the group, then I bounced. I'm ready to hunker down, rest, and get focused for the big day. It's right around the corner.

Working the Legs

Warmup: 2.16 mi. in 17:09 - 7:56 ppm.
Session 1: 2 x mile with 3:00 rest. 6:09.7, 6:07.
Session 2: 2 x half-mile with 2:00 rest. 3:02.2, 3:00.4.
Cooldown: 1.95 mi. in 15:49 - 8:06 ppm.

I headed over to McAlpine today feeling a bit worn down, as seems to be the Thursday afternoon custom. I cut the workout short by a couple reps on the mile part, but what I did do went pretty well. The NCISAA state meet was to be held here tomorrow, and I chatted some with Ben Hovis about the prospects of his Providence  Day boys taking the title (he was cautiously optimistic; they would go on to win). I was hurting but the workout went pretty well.

Neighborhood Hurt

Distance: 3.75 mi.
Time: 29:01 - 7:44 ppm.

I ran a short route through my neighborhood today just to get the junk out of my legs. Nothing else to report here. 

Shorter Neighborhood Loop

Distance: 8.28 mi.
Time: 1:02:46 - 7:35 ppm.

I didn't feel all that great so I cut it short a little bit. All in all, I'm still happy with my progress. The race is just over two weeks away at this point. I'm starting to get pumped up.

Week in Review

Total Distance: 46.09 mi.
Dedicated Time: 5:42:49 h:m:s.

I got in an excellent tempo run Tuesday, a good workout Thursday, and a great long run Sunday. I can't remember the last time every run went pretty well in a week, so I'm happy with where things are going. This is also my highest week of mileage in the cycle, and it has come at the perfect time, right before one more hard week and a taper. The mileage overall is still a little low for marathon training but I think it's good enough for now.

Last Big One of the TR Cycle

Distance: 20 mi.
Time: 2:33:15 - 7:40 ppm.

Today would be the last big long run of my Thunder Road cycle. I regrettably failed to update my gel inventory; however, thanks to Katie's family I had gorged myself on sandwiches, chicken nuggets, strawberries, steak, shrimp, a baked potato, bread, and other things yesterday at Appalachian State's homecoming football game. I brought a clif bar to munch on at my halfway point but found myself more than full of energy on this one.

I would run nearly the same route I did for my first 20-miler, at least at the start, by running through Lansdowne to Providence. I went through Sardis Forest and instead of getting lost just continued on to Sardis North this time. Then, I ran the full Old Bell loop. I had wanted to incorporate some hills into this one, and got that done. After taking on some fluids just past mile 10, I headed up to Boyce to run through the hills of this neighborhood. All told I basically spent the first 14-plus on hilly roads before finishing up on the trails. I had stopped to stretch a good bit due to more muscle tightness, but all in all I felt pretty good. My fastest split was a 7:04 at mile 18 and I was still able to finish at 7:31. 

First P-Stone Run

Distance: ~9 mi. total.
Time: ?? Forgot to charge Running Buddy.

I had forgotten to charge my Garmin, so I wouldn't have it at my disposal today. I had decided to show up to the Meetup group's "Infamous P-Stone Run" at the Philosopher's Stone tonight. I wanted to get in my marathon workout of MGP, repeats, then tempo pace, using the group run as the tempo.

Without the watch I just tried to guess my distance based on what I know of the area and go on feel for the pace. I ran slow for a mile or more and then gauged what I thought to be MGP for the next two miles. After a brief rest I decided to run two times one mile hard, up and down Colville, which is just under a mile. I felt pretty good on this rolling street. I got done and ran back, getting to the P Stone before the group had taken off.

We walked down Caswell and then over to Greenway, where once again someone organized everyone to start. I had taken a mental picture of the course map just in case nobody else felt like running fast. I was warmed up and wanting to finish on a high note, so I took off down Greenway, up Dotger, over to Vail, and across Laurel. It was here that I apparently "got lost" by continuing on Colville down to Twiford. I wouldn't realize this until a week later, but I didn't actually get lost, I just ran the route listed above and that's apparently not the correct route anymore.

At any rate, I was flying. Without the Garmin I always run too fast rather than too slow. Afterwards, a guy named Ross told me he was 7:06 pace and guessed I finished two minutes ahead of him. So I dunno. But I felt good. All things considered I was a bit disorganized today but got in a great workout nonetheless. I wish I had the Running Buddy details to prove it.

Five Fast on the Booty

Distance: 10.65 mi.
Time: 1:16:58 - 7:13 ppm.

I once again signed up and attended the Charlotte Runners' "Five on the Booty" run, once again making it more like ten on the booty for myself. I averaged a comfortable 7:30 per mile, but since I was late, the pack was already barreling towards me before I finished. I took off my shirt, drank some water and Gatorade, and then took off. I had caught most of the group before hitting Queens Road West. My splits for the last five miles were   7:03, 6:58, 6:44, 7:01, 7:03, and then 4:13 (6:27 pace) for the last 0.65 miles. It had started raining before I got done and I felt pretty good.

Freedom and Booty

Distance: 6.44 mi.
Time: 48:15 - 7:30 ppm.

I ran my Freedom Park/Booty Loop route today (maybe I need a new name for it?) and added on a little bit. I felt fresh at first and sluggish towards the end. I have nothing else to add except that I don't think I'll ever get tired of running in this area. It's not a soft surface but has everything else a runner could possibly need: shade, sun, water fountains, hills, flat surfaces, a park, a greenway, and some pretty faces.

Week in Review

Total Distance: 44.41 mi.
Dedicated Time: 5:34:58 h:m:s.

This week was pretty tough but it was one of my better totals in weekly mileage. I got in my longest run of the cycle at 22 miles, and as I write this can say that I recovered nicely. I got it done on the Saturday and felt normal - though still eating a lot - by Sunday evening.

Short Shakeout

Distance: 1.89 mi.
Time: 13:56 - 7:22 ppm.

I had to meet Katie and my parents at church so I didn't have much time today, but I wanted to get in a short shakeout just to get the legs moving. I ran to the water fountain on Colville and back and called it a run. Surprisingly, I felt fine.

Trials of Miles...Miles of Trials

Distance: 22 mi.
Time: 2:47:42 - 7:37 ppm.

I love it when people bring me food at work, but a spicy chicken sandwich at 10 p.m. was a poor request on my part. So, despite this being a great run, things didn't get started off all that well. I met David at Old Bell at 7am, as planned, and was pleased to find a row of porta-jons set up. I wondered if this would be a new thing. It's about damned time, I thought. Much to my chagrin, they were locked. Wtf?! We started up Boyce Road to begin our 22-mile run, and at my insistence turned into the park so I could use the bathrooms there. They, too, were locked. Are you f*&$&@ kidding me?!?!  We then headed to the main entrance of McAlpine Park so I could finally take care of business. By the time I was ready to run, Dave was about three miles ahead of me. Great.

We ran up Monroe Road and Brinkley nearly jumped in front of a car trying to cross the street. Yikes. Luckily, the car saw him and darted over. Let's try to put that moment behind us... It was pretty chilly and we just sort of eased into this one, but we got in some good hill work in the Boyce neighborhoods before meeting back up with Eggers and Mitchell at Old Bell. My stomach was still upset and the porta-jons were open at this point - I found out they were there because of the morning's Run for Warriors event - so I told the boys to meet me back here at a later time. I had also left my car key in the bathroom at McAlpine. Did I mention today wasn't really my day? I ran towards the park and found many of the event's competitors, including Michelle Hazelton. We talked about possibly meeting up at a later time but I wanted to rejoin the fellas at this time.

Hungry for more hills, I ran the short Old Bell loop before waiting for Eggers, Brinkley, and Mitchell. I was over halfway done at this point but my legs were feeling pretty tight. I kept having to stop and stretch. We passed the Warriors event runners several times as they made their loops, including the pack of Michelle, Carolyn, and the Crockfords. We also passed Spada and Compton several times as each appeared to be doing a solo workout.

This was a cool day to be out on the trails with so many people. They had a guitarist set up near the Sardis weir, and...well, they also had some photographers. Despite not being actual competitors, we got in the action. I can't save the photos without buying them, but if you click here and scroll down you can find some funny candids of the three amigos logging some miles on the trails.

At 22 miles, I assure you this is my longest run of the cycle. I would be lying if I told you I felt good but I got it done and recovered nicely later on in the day. Despite some setbacks in the cycle, things have been going pretty well.

Botched Tempo Run

Warmup: 1.93 mi. in 15:10 - 7:52 ppm.
Tempo: 4.68 mi. in 32:07 - 6:52 ppm.
Cooldown: 0.71 mi. in 6:31 - 9:11 ppm.

I do a lot better when I run in the mornings, which is a good thing considering race times, and not the case today. I hadn't eaten much, had plans to go out for Mexican food later, and could not think about anything other than enchiladas and burritos and Dos Equis and the excellent company I would soon enjoy. It showed...

I started at Old Bell but planned to run up Boyce and through the hilly neighborhoods nearby to really test myself on this one. Well, I started out way too fast, which always dooms me. I opened with a 6:41 mile on the hilliest part of the whole route and soon came undone. My left shin started bothering me; this would be my last run in the old Pegasus. I ended up averaging 6:52 per mile which would be decent if I didn't call the workout after fewer than five miles. Some days you're the windshield, and some days you're the bug. Oh well, 'til next time.

Sore Heel is Back

Distance: 9.68 mi.
Time: 1:13:14 - 7:34 ppm.

Despite the decent pace, I know I was hurting on this one. No sooner do I brag about my heel no longer bothering me than it starts to bother me again. I ran around the neighboring streets for a bit not feeling so good, but got the miles done. I have decided it's time to finally hang up the trusty Nike Air Pegasus. I have gotten close to 400 miles out of them, but the way my legs feel I think 360 is about the right number. Either way, that's more like it, shoes. 

Quick Easy Run

Distance: 3.52 mi.
Time: 26:15 - 7:28 ppm.

I had to get a lot of work done this morning and then meet my business partner for lunch to discuss some client presentations. So yeah, another day of not getting much done. I did a nice little stroll around the neighborhood and then stammered into Baoding Southpark looking like I had just gotten run over by a truck.

Week in Review

Total Distance: 33.37 mi.
Dedicated Time: 4:14:33 h:m:s.

Wow, my training is inconsistent. This is a cause for concern. Luckily, at this point, it's the only cause for concern, but still. My heel is still noticeable but doesn't bother me nearly as much right now, not even in the mornings.

I didn't do much this week, obviously, but I rolled on my two hard days - the meetup group run with Franklin and the speed work at McAlpine. I'll take what I can get, I guess.

Cutback Long Run

Distance: 10 mi.
Time: 1:15:11 - 7:31 ppm.

Despite the layoff between blog updates, I do remember some posts pretty well. I remember this one hurting for some reason, but I want to say it was because I stayed up late after work the night before, not from this week's efforts. It was a much-needed cutback long run after some advancements in the distance to this point forward. Also, despite some feeling pretty horribly I still kept a decent pace.

Speed Runs at McAlpine

Warmup: 1.94 mi. in 14:51 - 7:40 ppm.
Session 1: 4 x half-mile with 2:00 rest. 3:05.8, 3:08.6, 3:03.4, 2:55.8.
Session 2: 4 x quarter-mile with 1:00 rest. 1:24.2, 1:30.2, 1:32.6, 1:24.4.
Cooldown: 1.92 mi. in 15:29 - 8:04 ppm.

I don't remember anything about this workout other than the fact that it was crammed in between a busy morning at work and a lunch with my dad. In other words, it was probably a shorter version of what I had meant to do.

I can tell by the times, however, that I ran it faster than target pace so I must have been feeling well!

First Meetup Run

Distance: 10.2 mi.
Time: 1:14:07 - 7:16 ppm.

This one was slightly eventful, as I have recently joined the Charlotte Runners group on Meetup. I guess I was just curious about this group since I had heard from several people involved that their runs tend to be a little more fun than anything else. My friend Jade is a member so I had asked her about it, then eventually signed up. Today I made it to their Tuesday night "5 on the Booty" run that starts at the Metropolitan. I wanted to go medium-long today so I got there early and ran the loop by myself, just cruising along.

I got back to the Metropolitan and drank some water. There was a large group around, including a few familiar faces. Several people came up and introduced themselves, recognizing that I was new. The group organizer gathered everyone over to the starting line before sending us off. I thought that was a little weird but figured it's better than simply taking off to run without making sure everyone is ready. This really does seem like a cool group; it's a good mix of serious runners, people new to running and trying to get better, and people who just want to have fun.

I found Franklin Keathley, an acquaintance of mine, and re-introduced myself. We started at the back of the pack and started picking people off. By the time we got up to Selwyn we were moving pretty quickly and had already passed most people. I asked Franklin how many people he thought were ahead of us. "Just a few, I think," he said. I then asked him if he thought we could catch them all. I was feeling frisky.

We raced down Queens West, crossed the street near CMC, and continued to mow down more runners. I was having fun, and to my pleasant surprise Franklin was hanging on not far behind me. I caught an older gentleman right near the gazebo on the greenway and announced that I didn't have any gears left. I tucked in behind him. I had run my last three miles in 7:05, 6:35, and 6:08, and had caught all but two of the runners. One of them was John Cristiano, who I probably could not have caught regardless of where we started. I spent some time talking to him about the Thunder Road marathon and a few other things. There was an after party at Vivace but I had other plans for the evening, and bolted after congratulating Franklin on his longest run of all time.

I enjoyed this run and the group in general. I don't really see myself being part of the social scene but it's definitely a fun group to run with. I like how everyone stays in a big pack and sticks around to congratulate everybody when the run is over.

Easy Goofing Off

Distance: 5.60 mi.
Time: 45:15 - 8:05 ppm.

Today, I wasn't going to run, then at the last minute texted David Brinkley Jr. to see if he wanted to meet. He had planned to meet a buddy at the Dowd Y and told me to join. I ran five very easy miles with Dave and Michael and we just kind of goofed off, discussing some funny things that had happened to us recently and what not. At one point we passed a group of foreign-speaking gentlemen on the greenway. They calmly slid out of the way to let us pass, then later decided to come racing past us, all the while hammering on in their native tongue. We thought this was a bit weird. The three of us trotted along, uncomfortably, between the three of them before getting tired of the act and leaving them in the dust. Weird. This was a fun run though and my legs felt okay despite yesterday's 20-mile run.

Week in Review

Total Distance: 38.35 mi.
Dedicated Time: 4:59:4 h:m:s

I only ran three times this week - pathetic. Because one of those runs was a 20-miler, the distance nearly equaled 40 miles, but as I am retro-posting this I can go ahead and assure you that a lack of high mileage is the number one concern for me going into the Thunder Road Marathon. 

Cold, Lonely, and Awesome

Distance: 20 mi.
Time: 2:35:51 - 7:48 ppm.

For today's long run, I made a point to prepare a little bit better, or at least come close to resembling pre-race preparation. I will not be working til after 11p.m. the night before Thunder Road, as I did last night, but I did take in a good bit of food yesterday and get to sleep at a decent hour. Yesterday afternoon I made a trip to Run For Your Life to pick up some more gel and purchase some new shorts. I needed a longer pair of shorts with a pocket in order to combat the cooler weather and have some room for the gel. Done and done.

I had been invited to join the group of Billy, Kahn, Carolyn, and Megan, but I declined, choosing instead to get an extra hour of sleep and run at my own pace. For the most part I prefer running with a group, as it will always be faster, but sometimes a solo long run can do wonders for the mind and spirit.

I parked at Old Bell just before 7, stretched out a bit, and stuffed some gel into my shorts. I would be taking two decaffeinated packets at miles six and twelve and one caffeinated gel at mile 18. For the race I will probably do another caffeinated dose at mile 24. I only needed one for now as I had planned to return to the car after 12 on the roads. I ran up Sardis in shorts, a tech tee, and a v-neck dry-fit long-sleeve, plus a toboggan. I was cold and it was a bit shocking compared to what I've gotten used to. I made a point not to worry about my pace, and it showed, as it was a good bit into this one before I was able to turn any decent splits. I felt like I was running faster but again, the change in temperature was a bit startling at first. I ran through Lansdowne and up Providence, then went up Alexander Road. This road is always so pretty in the early mornings when it's cold outside. There's one section with a couple small fields on either side and a blind curve that make it look like a mountain lane. It was here that I took the first gel, inadvisably without water.

I ran to the right on Sardis and turned into the Sardis Forest neighborhood, where I proceeded to get lost...story of my life. This could explain several 8:00-plus miles as I never really stopped the watch while I was walking around in the road trying to gather my bearings. Oh well, I made it out and back towards the car, where I caught a glimpse of Compton running by and took another gel - this time with water and Gatorade.

My watch read 7:56 average pace, which was a bit disturbing despite the slow miles in Sardis Forest. I ditched my hat and set off down the greenway, determined to turn some faster miles. I accomplished said goal, with my fastest split being a 7:16 on mile 17. I took the caffeinated gel with water after 18 miles, and it was here that I finally began to slow down, albeit only by a little bit, after successfully getting my average pace under 7:50. The legs were tired but the breathing and energy level had been fine all day, likely a combination of the cooler temps and the three gels.

After struggling to make it through an 18-mile run last weekend I was happy to get this one down in solid fashion. The pace was slower than I would have liked but despite being tired at the end I felt like I could have gone further. I will do one more 20-miler and a 22-mile run before I taper.

This was a good morning on the roads and trails.