2012 Hit the Brixx 10k

Distance: 11.7 mi.

Warmup: 2.1 mi.
Race: 10km (6.24 mi.) in 40:53.27/6:34 ppm.
Cooldown: 3.4 mi. in 27:39.

Splits: 6:09; 6:25.6; 6:42.4; 6:45.3; 6:46.3; 6:26.8; 1:37.9.

Map and Elevation

What, a race? Already? Damn right, people! I waffled about this one the latter part of the week, but late Friday morning I got a text from Chris Lamperski saying he was going to relinquish his free entry from Greenapple, and wanted me to have it - what a guy! I knew I was not in great shape, especially for a 10k, but was splendidly excited about toeing the line again.

The race would start at 7:45 so I awoke around 6:15 to get ready. There would be no eating, but I've eaten exceptionally well all week by anyone's standards (more on that later) and packed on the nutrients late last night. Febreezy was up and at 'em as well, but headed out for an easy run in lieu of the race. By 7 a.m. I was parked in the 7th Street garage and began warming up. Since Greenapple wasn't there yet, I dropped off my stuff at the RFYL tent (thanks, Emily!) and found my friends: David Brinkley, Brian Baum, and Jeff Schmidt. I had already warmed up for over a mile at this point so I let them go when I found Dr. G and gladly retrieved my race entry. I made sure he knew I was grateful for the free entry, turned it in, and finished warming up.

Back at the start line, I found a spot behind Baum and Jeff and asked what their goals were. Baum is pretty fit at this point and Brinkley is very fit, but Jeff seemed to want to break 40, like me, so I figured I would try to keep him in my sights.

A glance at my splits would indicate I started off way too fast, and I probably did, but the first mile is downhill so it wasn't as bad as it looks. I got dropped by the initial chase pack, though, and just tried to keep Jeff in my sights as he would remain about 15 meters ahead of me for the next few miles. My heels were rubbing raw against the back of my flats and I would later find them to be bloodied up after the race. I tried to put that distraction behind me for now and worry about it later.

We wandered through the Elizabeth area, near the hospitals, and made our way back towards the Brixx Pizza on 6th Street. Seeing the clock at the 5-mile mark lit a fire under me and I took off, catching Jeff and two other men, but I was well behind my goal. I got passed back by one guy going up 7th Street and stumbled into the chute just under 41 minutes.

It's hard to know what to think about this one. On the one hand, this was 6:34 pace, and I was doing tempo runs at 6:15 pace back in March. On the other hand, one can't always be in marathon shape so it's important to keep these things in perspective. On the other other hand, I knew full well that I would lose fitness while trying to rest this summer, and I think this is a pretty good effort for a rust-buster.

Most importantly, I'm glad to be back out on the roads and racing again. The atmosphere was outstanding as I got to see all my friends and enjoy more free stuff, such as pizza and beer. Fun times.

Steady Does It

Distance: 6.5 mi.
Time: 49:06.
Pace: 7:37.

I felt good today, running a little bit further than planned. I made sure to do all my isometric drill work more than usual after the relay, and I can tell it helped. I deal with a lot of tightness in my adductors if I don't do the wall sits enough, so I've tried to stay on that! 

BRR Shakeout

Distance: 5.25 mi.
Time: 40:51.
Pace: 7:47.

Three days after coming home from Blue Ridge, and my legs are tired, but not terribly sore. Since I don't have anything in particular for which to train at the moment, I decided to take some extra rest instead of getting back to work right away. It's time to set my sights on something, though, if only so I'll have a reason to stay focused. I see too many runners either slack off or get burned out when they don't have a goal or target race, and I won't let that happen to me. My nagging aches are still there, but much better, so I feel pretty good about taking so much time off this summer.

Side note: running hills sure seems a lot easier now!

2012 Blue Ridge Relay, Part V: Stache and Dash 2.0 Brings it Home

Adrienne had a rough two-mile opening to her final leg before a descent on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Support vans were allowed during the day, so we would be able to follow her the whole way. She had asked us to stop and cheer her on at the top of the hill. I made sure that was ok with John, because it would mean he wouldn't be able to warm up, and he said he was cool with it.

We found a perch on top of the hill a little over halfway through her leg and waited....and forgot to get out of the van and cheer her on. Oops - my bad, dear. I actually saw her coming in the rearview mirror but my body was so exhausted that I failed to follow through with the signal my brain was sending to get out of the car. She slapped the side of the van and continued on - being helped by a runner from another team who had come up behind her. We carried on towards the parkway, stopping to admire some views as we waited for Adrienne to pass us again. Her new friend came by and let us know she was right behind him and we waited and waved again, weaving our way through motorcycle traffic. I have no idea why it's so popular to ride motorcycles on the parkway. This put a sour taste in my mouth as a friend of mine was recently injured - and his bike destroyed - doing exactly that. Last time Adrienne and I were here - on a vacation in May - we came upon a bad accident in which a biker had lost control and gone into the trees. Yet I digress....

Febreezy needed to get to the EZ, which was surprisingly right around the corner. Julie, Lauren, and Adrienne had maintained the lead over Chick Maggots that had been given to them by Mr. Barringer. We continued to get excited texts from Van 1, but I knew what they didn't: there was at least one mixed team ahead of us. We wouldn't win the title but second place was thought to be within reach.

It's worth mentioning at this point that, for at least the last five hours or so, Fillette had been hanging out and walking around with his orange safety vest on. I have no idea why he did this. Taking that stupid thing off was the first thing I did when I finished my night leg - I think that vest came off before I even stopped my watch. Ironically, he eventually took it off and dropped at the feet of some of the Maggots girls in the middle of his leg - you know, the one time he was actually required to wear it. John Fillette, ladies and gents - how can you not love him?

While Fillette was running, overwhelming fatigue had set in as the rest of Van 2 was done with our part of the Blue Ridge Relay. We were tired and in need of fuel. Unfortunately, so was our van. We had to take a detour off the race course to put some gas in the tan Stache Machine. We easily made it to Mellow Mushroom in time to meet our teammates from Van 1, though. I gave Brewer a huge embrace as we discussed once again how happy we were to be running on the same team again. We bemoaned the fact that we were not in the same van as I made a mental note to put more strategy behind that if I can take charge of the leg assignments for next year.

The Chick Maggots ended up catching and beating us after all. While we were not in the same category, I thought it would have been nice to beat some of the teams that started out at the same time we did. Hat's off to them, though, and hat's way off to the Fast and Pretty girls. I was very impressed that two all-female teams were able to beat what turned out to be one of the best mixed teams (us).

I was very proud to have my friend John as my teammate. Although he wasn't where he wanted to be going in to this thing, he still ran incredibly strong, never complaining and never getting discouraged. He also did more than a fair share of the driving. We were all gentlemen in Van 2 - between John, Jay, and I the ladies in our van never had to drive or worry about navigating us to where we needed to be. We also bought them flowers at Ingles.

I had also been concerned about how our van would handle the logistics of the race - half the battle at Blue Ridge, according to Allen - since we were basically all new to the event. Well, we hit that one out of the park. We worked together beautifully to make sure our portion of the event went flawlessly. The only snafu was me missing Emily at the third transition zone, and I had a pretty good excuse for that.

The steady anchor for this team for the second year in a row, Fillette came blasting through downtown Asheville as we all excitedly cheered for him and ran into the finishing chute together - as is Blue Ridge tradition. What an incredible event. I had goosebumps and tons of adrenaline throughout the whole thing. I think we all did. How else can you survive miles of tough running on minimal food and almost no sleep? I wish I could tell you, the reader, more about what Stache and Dash 2.0 accomplished but as of 11:45 on Monday night the results have still not been posted. We only have an educated guess as to where we finished - according to Emily and Rob, second mixed (co-ed) team and possibly top twelve overall. I will update this post whenever the results are in, but for now I will leave you with some more pictures.

[UPDATE: Stache and Dash 2.0 finished 13th out of 146 teams overall and 3rd out of 13 teams in the mixed category.]

Allen cruising through the park on Leg 1.

Josh preparing to take the bracelet from Allen at the first exchange zone.

Respect the Stache. The other teams had no choice but to do so.

Jay and I had just gotten chased off some farmer's property during our cooldown on Friday, so were feeling a bit mischievous.

Van 2's Three Amigos.

Stache and Dash 2.0 at the finish line. What a great team. I will never forget this experience.

2012 Blue Ridge Relay, Part IV: Mountain Goats and Legends, Smiling all the Way

I awoke again for good sometime around 6:30 a.m. I slept pretty soundly, interrupted only occasionally by the sounds of Jay and John bickering over Jay's driving. I was sorry I missed that but they successfully navigated us through a tough stretch of the relay that was challenging both for the runners and the vans. We arrived at the final transition zone, otherwise known as the "church that serves breakfast." I got out and started rehydrating as most of our van continued to sleep. I had my final racing costume on with some outerwear and milled around for a bit. We had passed well over 100 teams so far in our journey and so this exchange zone wasn't very crowded when we arrived. I was amused once again at the sight of several runners asleep on the ground, in hammocks, on benches, and even on the side of the road. I found myself a little bit envious of the teams who had enough time to actually get a decent night's sleep but ultimately decided I'd much rather have the earlier finish that comes with being a faster team at this event.

I don't want to gross out the reader, but I made several trips to the porta-jons during this stop. I thought I had had trouble eating food that will stick, but I think I was just really nervous about the task ahead of me: the first mountain goat leg, infamous for its difficulty and arguably the toughest leg of the entire race. The next six legs would certainly be the toughest section of the race, and there was a quiet intensity about Van 2 as we all began to wake up.

I managed to get in a brief warmup but felt horrible. Julie gave me some Marathon bars, which helped ease my stomach, and I spent a lot of time chatting with other runners: Thomas Eggar and Matt Jaskot, Michelle Hazelton, Carolyn Maye, Katie Howard, and others whom I did not know but found to be quite friendly. DURT had been with us for awhile earlier but we eventually dropped them and found out they had some trouble on Leg 23 or 24. Fast and Pretty and Chick Maggots had been with us most of the race, as well; after some early jousting it appeared the former had put us away but we still enjoyed chatting with Mich and the girls at the exchange zones. Jason Martin was their driver and I got to swap war stories with him, as well.

My mountain leg would start off flat for a mile or so and then begin climbing - and not stop climbing. It was a continuous ascent with literally no relief for the last 5.5 miles - for a total of 6.5 miles of running. How does 1,400-plus feet of elevation gain over 6.5 miles sound to you? I knew I was in for a war when the previous legs had been described as "relatively easy" and I had found them to be brutal. This leg was described as brutal, so how would I later describe it? Pure hell?

Emily came rolling into the exchange zone with a look of "this is finally over" on her face. Tears were shed a few times among members of Stache and Dash 2.0 - another BRR tradition that isn't always pleasant. Van 1 had shaken off some soreness, injury concerns, and brutal finishing legs to hand it over to us for one final time. I slapped on the bracelet and let out a primal roar in front of my teammates as I headed off into the distance, about 100 meters behind the woman from Chick Maggots.

Adrienne snapped a picture from the van as I ran by.

You can't tell from this picture, but trust me, I look worried.

Not surprisingly, the "flat" first mile of this leg was a lot more uphill than flat. I felt awful in the first mile but the mental toughness - something I've found to be lacking in recent months - kicked in as I discarded all thoughts from Satan and began to trudge up the mountain. I tried to settle into a slower pace right away and just keep it there, but my first mile went by in about 7:17. This leg featured some long, steady climbs followed by a series of hairpin turns and switchbacks. As advertised, it was like that the entire way with no relief whatsoever. A few times, I stopped to walk for 10 meters or so just to regain my momentum. I was frustrated because the girl from Chick Maggots - clearly a hill expert, as their team is from Asheville - was pulling away from me. But I had come into this leg with a plan and I was sticking to it. Whenever I would start to feel bad I would just re-focus on my form and trudge ahead. Every van I passed shouted out encouragement to me. I also cut distance off this leg by using the constant switchbacks as a way to cut the tangents - brilliant, I say, simply brilliant! I was angry that I couldn't catch the Asheville woman, but no one passed me - no one passed me throughout the race, in fact - and I did catch one roadkill going up a rather pretty, rather twisty section of this leg about 2 miles from the top. I could feel myself getting stronger and pushing through the closer I got to the top of this thing. After passing the "exchange zone" sign I saw a runner up ahead in jean shorts and a purple wig: it was Thomas. I dug in and tried to catch him, but I'm glad I didn't. I would have felt ill dropping someone who had run three times as many miles as me at the finish of a brutal leg. I executed another successful bracelet-slap with Jay and watched him take off. I had run this leg in an average of just under 9 minutes per mile - much slower than if I had been in better shape, but I was very proud of it. I had come into this event feeling like I hadn't enjoyed running in a long time, and this race in general and the mountain goat leg in particular changed all of that for the better. I was in love with running once again.

I could tell my team members were excited about how I had done and encouraged by the fact that we were so close to the finish line. We piled into the van in search of Jay Barringer, who had just gone flying down the mountain that I had just run up. Not long after we saw him, we passed Ashley from Chick Maggots and I felt a little better knowing that her teammate had not run much faster than me on the goat. It wouldn't take long before Jay would catch Ashley and give us a sizable lead over what would turn out to be the second-place women's team. We parked at EZ 32 and I soaked my feet in the cold stream nearby - something Bjorn Norman had told me to look for - and we waited for Jay.

We didn't have to wait long. Along with Josh, Jay lived up to his billing as the stud of our team. He had claimed something close to 15 or more road kills on a section of the course that featured some pretty good teams. His time for the 9.5-mile section? 52:15. !!!

We almost had another miss at the EZ, but Julie saw him and sprinted in his direction in time to grab the bracelet and take off. Julie was our other mountain goat, running Leg 33 aka "the Nipple." This leg would be shorter than the goat but involve one massive uphill and an equally quad-smashing downhill. We passed her as she looked determined as ever and then our jaws dropped as we saw what she had to look forward to: once again, the leg descriptions did not come close to doing this one justice: it was nearly straight-up in some parts and just didn't seem to stop. It's worth putting this one in the hat as well for the title of "toughest leg of the race" along with my goat leg and Josh's Grandfather 10-miler. There was a group of people at the top of this evil mass of land that would cheer on any runners that came through. We were thankful for them and I'm sure Julie was, too. We passed our good friend Katie Howard of Fast and Pretty coming back down the mountain and rolled into the EZ as I exchanged snarky comments with Jason Martin. Julie arrived not much later with a look of exhausted satisfaction on her face - and the announcement that even more road kills were had.

Now, enter Mrs. Tilton. Lauren was clearly excited to be nearly done with this relay as she was smiling bigger than ever while trudging on. When we waited for her at EZ 34, I walked down the hill a bit, telling Adrienne I would signal for her when I saw Lauren. She was wearing our yellow Stache and Dash singlet so I didn't have any trouble spotting her. She was charging up the hill after clearly having passed two men. Road kill, you are! Van 2 had clearly earned its keep. Jay sent word to Van 1 that legs 31-34 had just been destroyed and that we were well on our way to bringing home an amazing time. They sent word back from the finish line that no mixed teams had shown up yet and we might be in line for some hardware. Adrienne was up and John Fillette was on deck. The Blue Ridge Parkway and downtown Asheville were all that stood between Stache and Dash 2.0 and the end of this 208-210-mile journey.

2012 Blue Ridge Relay, Part III: Flying Through the Night

At this point in the day - about 9p.m. on a Friday - I was starting to get tired. The 6 a.m. wake-up call, all the driving and stress of getting our team where it needed to be, and the hard run in the sun were starting to catch up to me. I decided to curl up in the back seat of the van while Jay and John took turns driving us to the next transition zone. We got updates from Van 1 that Allen was rolling on his 7-plus-mile section, picking off several roadkills even though he had claimed he'd be taking it light this weekend (in preparation for an upcoming marathon). I was anxious to see how Josh would perform on the longest section of the race - the grueling 10-mile Grandfather Mountain section that was coming up after Allen was done.

If I was getting sleepy, the rest of the van was getting zany. I only really needed 45 minutes or so and then I felt refreshed again, waking up in time to prevent our energetic navigator from sending the van in the wrong direction. After Josh, there would be two short legs for Siobhan and Sarah and some relatively quick ones from Rob and Emily, so we wanted to be in position. We arrived at Plumtree Presbyterian Church somewhere in....well, I had no idea where we were.

If the Tangier outlet stop was a party, this one was pure chaos. It was pitch black outside but there were vans and runners everywhere. People were lined up in the grass in sleeping bags. One dude came up to our van to ask how things were going, then plopped in front of the door to the post office and proceeded to start snoring. We saw Hovis again and caught wind of how CRC's elite team was doing. We saw Stan Austin and the Three Stooges van as well. I don't think Matt Jaskot remembers much from our conversation, as the event's first-ever three-man team was about halfway through its incredible journey. We would see a headlamp and blinky lights and then a runner would come into view and scream his team's name. I was a bit worried that I might not know when Emily was coming, but at this point I still had plenty of time. I jogged past the exchange zone and into the darkness, trying to get a feel for the headlamp I was using. It was almost completely useless but a requirement. I had a 4.4-mile stretch of 19 East that I was prepared to be pretty fast as the leg description said it was a "gentle downhill." When I came back to the van I caught wind of an epic night performance from Van 1: Josh had annihilated Grandfather Mountain, chalking up 17 - that's right, seventeen - road kills. Wow! His time was somewhere around 65 minutes for the mostly uphill 10-mile section. Siobhan, Sarah, and Rob had also run very well and I would later find out that Emily's dark, grueling Leg 18 would be her top performance of the trip, as well. I remember cringing when we drove up some of the hills she would be running but she apparently crushed it.

Things got a little weird at Exchange Zone 18.

This is the part where things went slightly wrong. I was talking to Josh after Van 1 arrived and soaking in the motivation for what I thought would be a short, fast leg when I realized my safety vest was going to fall off when I ran. He went back to his van and found another one for me to try. As I was jogging back to the EZ Rob came over yelling at me that Emily was standing at the exchange zone waiting for me. I panicked and darted over there to grab the bracelet and yell out my race number. I was embarrassed and knew I would need to apologize to Emily later, but first things first: I had to run! Van 2 was on once again as I took off through the night in search of roadkills.

I quickly became very angry with whoever described this leg as a "gentle downhill." It was more like a false flat with a couple of steep uphills. I had been determined to go fast, however, and so I churned on. I flew past a couple runners who offered encouragement as I tried to reciprocate it. 1,2,3 roadkills. I went up another hill in the pitch black night, unable to see much of anything until the other teams' vans started flying past me. I looked at my watch a couple times and realized I was turning 6:30 miles - not bad for someone who hadn't done much running this summer, huh? I kept mowing down every set of blinky lights that I saw as my roadkill total reached 8 runners in a mere 4 miles. As I approached the exchange zone I was really moving after coming up yet another hill. This was a small, crowded zone at the Green Valley Fire Department and I couldn't see anyone. I started yelling, "Stache and Dash!!" to the sound of cheers from my van mates. Jay was there and ready and we executed a perfect bracelet slap as he took off up the mountain.

Watching Jay pick off road kill after road kill in this tough seven-mile section was quite entertaining. He was flying. When he got back in the van I think he told us he had passed 13 people. Like me, Jay was pretty motivated by hearing how well Josh had run and didn't want to be outdone! After a quick warmup, Julie was off to run the shortest, fastest leg of the race - 2.4 miles of mostly downhill. She was flying as we passed her - clearly a talented runner who looked motivated and intense. As Lauren warmed up at the next exchange zone, Jay and I started goofing off. It was about 2 a.m. at this point and I was beyond delirious. There was an Ingles grocery store here and so Jay and I went inside in an attempt to refill our nearly empty water cooler. While Julie handed off to Lauren and Adrienne warmed up down at the parking lot, Jay and I stocked back up on supplies. Lauren and Adrienne were about to embark on two very long, very dark and desolate stretches of the course. I think this is the only time in the whole trip that Lauren wasn't smiling as I tried to reassure them both that the course was crowded at this point and they should see several runners as well as other teams' vans. Surely enough, when we passed Lauren on Leg 22 she was smiling again, and running strong. Julie had added quite a few road kills to our team total on the previous leg and it was time for Adrienne to get ready, as well. I was starting to lose it again and in dire need of sleep but I wanted to stay awake long enough to make sure my girlfriend was safe. When we passed her going up a hill, I was worried as it was very dark and we were in the woods in the middle of nowhere. But I noticed there was a caravan coming up the hill behind me and I felt confident there was nothing to worry about. I'd heard stories about weird things happening here during the desolate midnight runs, but we didn't have any problems at all. Jay jogged down the hill to look for Adrienne as she brought it in and handed off to John.

John dominated his short, 3.2-mile leg and the crew helped themselves to some baked potatoes at the transition zone while I crawled in the back seat. Stache and Dash had completed 24 of 36 legs after flying through the night. It was about 4:30 on Saturday morning when I finally fell asleep.

2012 Blue Ridge Relay, Part II: Setting the Pace

Despite some issues with traffic and some insane driving from Rob, Stache and Dash crossed the Virginia border and arrived at Grayson Highlands State Park around 10:45 a.m. This gave us plenty of time to check in and for Allen and Josh to warm up. I slipped on my Stache and Dash singlet as someone handed me a race number that I secured in my "dirt bag."

It's worth explaining at this point a few things about race logistics: There are 36 legs of this relay race, so three legs each per person on a 12-member team, which we and most teams were. The start times were staggered based on predicted time, so the supposedly faster teams would start later. As a faster team, we were assigned an 11:30a.m. start time, whereas some teams started as early as 8:00a.m. Once the running started, the "on" van would grab the runner who had just finished and allow some brief respite before piling back into the van and heading to the next exchange so the on-deck runner could hydrate and warm up. These scenarios would often get hectic depending on the length of the "on" leg and the speed of the "on" runner. The "off" van would simply drive to the next transition zone. The exchange zone was where one runner would hand off to the next; the transition zone was where one van would hand off to the other.

We had just enough time to pose for some pictures, decorate our vans, and mill around for a bit before we took off.

From Left to Right: Jay Barringer, Lauren Tilton, Adrienne Anetrini, Jason Blackwood, Josh Brewer, Allen Strickland, Siobhan Havlik, Sarah Keen, Emily Barrett, Julie Przybyla, Rob Ducsay, John Fillette.

Sarah Keen looks for a space to add some artwork to Van 1. Van decoration is a tradition at the Blue Ridge Relay.

Getting some wise words from Coach Hovis before the race. Ben's team started right after we did and crossed the line before any other team whilst finishing third overall.

The 11:30 starting line. Kicking Ultra Asphalt is third from the left. Chick Maggots is fourth from the left, Allen right in the middle, and Carolyn Maye from Charlotte's all-women Fast and Pretty is third from the right.

We watched Allen cruise through Grayson Highlands State Park. This was it. The Blue Ridge Relay had begun. A shot of adrenaline coursed through my veins as I begun to get really excited. I drove my van on past EZ 1, where Josh was anxiously waiting. I gave him some words of encouragement and then Van 2 got out of the way. It was time for us to make our way to Transition Zone 1.

I arrived at a church on the side of a mountain road and handed the car keys to John Fillette. My driving duties were over for awhile and it was time to hydrate and slap on the running costume. My first leg would start off downhill, then take a big uphill, then a VERY big uphill before a fast finish. It would be about 5.4 miles of tough, rolling terrain. Van 1 was keeping us updated on the proceedings - it sounded like things were going very well so far - and so I knew when to expect Emily to come rolling in.

She arrived and I slapped on the bracelet. I had no idea what I was in for on this first leg. It started downhill, surely enough, but there were two uphills on this leg that were unlike anything I had seen before. After being all alone for awhile, I pressed on up at the sight of another runner, using him as motivation to keep going when my body was feeling shot. It was hot and humid but I managed to nab my first roadkill of the trip with one attempt, and then handed off to Jay.

Preparing to slap the bracelet on Jay's left arm.

I averaged 7:06 pace for my first leg, which pleased me greatly. If I wasn't ready for BRR beforehand, I was now; I think knowing what I was up against and slaying some demons opened things up for me. I chatted with the team and started scarfing down food as Fillette reminded us that we had to get moving to the next EZ. The next leg was relatively short and we had a fast runner on the roads. Surely enough, Jay made it to Exchange Zone 8 awfully quickly (his time was the equivalent to about a 26:30 8K) but we had gotten Julie ready in time. Van 2 was off and running and enjoying themselves. We drove past Julie as she began to pick off roadkills. The roads were starting to get a little more popular as we were beginning to catch some of the slower teams that had started ahead of us. After Julie's first leg, it was time for Lauren Tilton to take over. 

I had quickly come to appreciate Lauren's persona, as she is very sweet and always smiling. It was amusing to drive up a steep grade as we passed and cheered for her and then see her flash a smile. We were all very impressed with both her attitude and her running ability this weekend. After Lauren, Adrienne took over and the van had to take a detour as support vans were not allowed on the parkway during the night hours. This would be the case for Fillette's leg, as well. We waited for Adrienne at EZ 11 as she destroyed her 10K PR, blasting up the hill with a look of steely competitiveness on her face. Then, Fillette was off. The sun was setting on Day 1 of the BRR as we headed through Boone and on towards the Tangier Outlets.

The scene at Tangiers could best be described as a humongous runners party. We saw the Charlotte Runners, with Jade Laughlin, Josh James, Gisele Tlutsky, and others; we saw DURT, Bobby Aswell's and Stan Austin's team; we saw Fast and Pretty with Michelle, Dalena, Anna, etc. I thoroughly enjoyed this stop as it turned out to be my one chance to really bond with Brewer. We talked about how much fun we were having and how great it was to experience something together again. Brewer remarked that the setting sun and the parking lot full of vans reminded him of the high school state track meets. We then started talking about food and realized we could help each other: I was in need of something sweet or salty after packing too much of the same stuff; he was in need of some vegetables after packing too much fruit and peanut butter. And so, I successfully exchanged some baby carrots for some dates, raisins, and a peanut butter-topped bagel. 

Not long after that, John Fillette came cruising into the second Transition Zone. It was about 8:30 p.m. and Van 2 had finished its first session, Allen Strickland had the bracelet, and it was time to move on.

Stay tuned for Part III.

2012 Blue Ridge Relay, Part I: Intro and Arrival

I was asked last year to join team Stache and Dash for what would have been my first experience at the Blue Ridge Relay. I declined, mostly because I was halfway through training for my first marathon and did not want to jeopardize things, but also because I had recently begun a long battle with bursitis in my right heel. This year, however, despite admittedly being out of shape, I didn't dare say no when I was once again asked to be a part of Team Stache and Dash.

The team would be a good bit different than last year. There would be six BRR veterans and six rookies - including yours truly. The original list included Laura Gray, Jess Bilbrey, and Chuck Player, each of whom had to back out for various reasons. When J-Bil decided not to re-enlist I reached out to my good friend and former high school teammate, Josh Brewer, and he thought about it for approximately 2.5 seconds before saying, "hell yes!" Rob Ducsay's friend, Julie Przybyla, eventually replaced Laura. We also needed to find a replacement for Chuck and one of Charlotte's faster runners - Jay Barringer - fell into our laps. Things were shaping up nicely for what turned out to be a mixed team of six women and six men. In Barringer and Brewer, we had two legit studs. The rest of our team could be described as a well-rounded and diverse group of runners, each of whom is capable of taking home an age group award at any given road race. We were, in order of appearance:

(I hope I do not offend anyone with these descriptions...)

VAN 1
1. Allen Strickland - a Blue Ridge veteran and one of the older, wiser members of our team. He also had an incredible mustache. I wish I could have shared a van with Allen as I always enjoy talking sports and joking around with him, but oh well, you can't win them all.
2. Josh Brewer - an incredibly talented runner with a knack for conquering mountains; Josh recently ran 3 hours flat at the Grandfather Mountain Marathon. He was the only BRR rookie in this van, though.
3. Siobhan Havlik - I don't know Siobhan very well but had a great chance to bond with her and her husband, David, at our "team meeting" on Lake Wylie. Siobhan is a dedicated and talented runner who frequently trains with the "My Pace or Yours" running group in Charlotte. She was also a member of last year's team.
4. Sarah Keen - too tough for the local 5Ks, Sarah likes to stick to longer races and tough mudders. She was on the team last year and frequently trains with the Davidson runners.
5. Rob Ducsay - along with Allen, Rob was one of our team leaders and more experienced veterans. He was also on last year's team and was coming into this thing having recently set a personal-best in the 5K.
6. Emily Barrett - Emily was the first person in the Charlotte running community to really reach out to me as a friend. She was on last year's team and, along with Adrienne and Rob, spearheaded the logistics of putting our team together. She was a bit concerned going in after spending a week in bed with illness, yet still fired up about having one of the tougher running assignments. She also trains heavily with the "My Pace or Yours" group.
VAN 2
7. Jason Blackwood - despite my fitness level being a far cry from where it was earlier this year, I was coming into this thing healthier and stronger than I've been in awhile. I was pretty nervous as I had one of the tougher assignments - including mountain goat 31 - but my concerns were negated by excitement.
8. Jay Barringer - Jay is a beast who ran in college at UNC Asheville, so while he was a BRR rookie, he knew the ups and downs of mountain racing better than anyone on our team. Jay is very fast - capable of running a half-marathon around 1:15 or so when fit.
9. Julie Przybyla - I did not know Julie at all going into this thing, but would soon get to know her very well and develop a great deal of respect for her toughness. We were more worried about having fun than anything else, but Rob assured us that Julie was as fast as he is - a bold statement considering Rob is pretty damn fast.
10. Lauren Tilton - I did not know Lauren at all, either, but had heard from Adrienne and Emily that she was a very tough runner. I would soon get to know her better - as we all would!
11. Adrienne Anetrini - my girlfriend was coming into this thing in arguably the best shape of her life, after recently destroying her 5K PR. She also had a large hand in organizing our team, with help from Emily and Rob.
12. John Fillette - my roommate and one of the most talented runners on the team was coming into this thing on a downswing in the training and was a bit nervous about how he would do - but hey, a slower pace from Febreezy is a fast pace for most people. We were not the least bit worried about how John would run.

Myself, Julie, and Lauren packing Van 2 as Emily supervises.

After some motivating Facebook posts and exchanging of messages, we were all ready to get going. We met at Emily's and Adrienne's apartment at 7:30 a.m. sharp on Friday, September 7. Everyone was there on time so we were off to a great start. I felt like I had everything I needed: three sets of full running outfits, including outerwear; trainers and racing flats; a pillow; enough healthy food to piss off most of America. I grabbed the keys to Van 2 and hopped in the driver's seat, and we were off! Stay tuned for more.

Summer in Review

I owe the loyal readers of this blog an apology as I have not updated it since early May. I have not suffered a new injury; however, I did drastically cut down the training in order to finally kick the chronic heel bursitis that has plagued me for almost a year now. For the most part, the down time and some hardcore isometric drills have healed me, but I am also a far cry from the fitness level I displayed on March 10. I do want to update every run - per the usual for this blog - and describe in better detail what I've been doing, but first I want to recap the most incredible experience of my running career: the 2012 Blue Ridge Relay. So, if you want, check back later for some extremely depressing posts about the Summer of Down Time, and enjoy the Blue Ridge Recap. Thanks for reading.

Pre-BRR Shakeout

Distance: 5.18 mi.
Time: 40:23.
Pace: 7:48.

I set off for the Blue Ridge Relay tomorrow, and since I (sort of) did a workout yesterday I thought I'd shake the legs out today. I wanted to see what uptown (yes, I've given in) looked like before the Democratic National Convention skipped town. I got turned around on the light rail path because of construction but got back on it later and cruised around the center city. There wasn't much to see - Charlotte is literally dead except for the convention. Many people have taken the way off to avoid dealing with the mess of traffic and roadblocks that they would otherwise encounter on the way in to work.

As for the run, I felt pretty good - maybe a little tight but nothing too bad. I'm as ready as I'm going to be for Blue Ridge, so we'll see what happens.

Decent Tempo Effort

Distance: 7.3 mi.

Warmup: 2.3 mi.
Workout: 3.9-mile cruise run.
Cooldown: 1.1 mi.

I didn't work tonight because my car is in the shop, and so I did manage to get in a brief run. I wanted to test the legs again to make sure I could survive Blue Ridge. I'm not really sure what I was hoping to find but I wasn't terribly disappointed with the effort.

7:00, 6:36, 6:51, 6:28 (for 0.9). 6:55 ppm.

I got my hips low and was able to glide across the sidewalk, as I tend to try to do, for the flat mile two as I ran this on parts of the Charlotte Runners' Tuesday night loop. That's not a very good description of my ideal stride but perhaps you get the idea. It was hot and humid and I felt tight, again, but I think I did all right. I didn't want to push too badly in anticipation of Blue Ridge. Really, I understand there's nothing I can do to help my fitness level at this point; I just want to get my body somewhat used to hurting and pushing through it.

Distance: 8.9 mi.
Time: 1:07:50.
Pace: 7:38.

Distance: 3.67 mi.
Time: 29:06.
Pace: 7:56.

Distance: 7.2 mi.
Time: 53:59.
Pace: 7:32.

Week in Review

Distance: 35.5 mi.

I showed up on race day again, and once again acquitted myself rather well, but I am not well. Lack of consistency and fear of the unknown are a concern right now.

2012 Twilight 5k

Distance: 8.9 mi.

Warmup: 3.00 mi.
Race: 5 km (3.14 mi.) in 18:59.22/6:03 ppm.
Cooldown: 2.73 mi.

This race wasn't fun. I hate running in the evenings, let alone racing in the evenings. I'm almost retro-posting here so forgive me, but this recap will be short (eh, maybe you like that, huh?).

After a short shakeout run earlier in the day I parked at the Dowd around 6 p.m. and began to get ready. On the bright side, I got in a 3-mile warmup, which is about what I prefer but something that almost never happens. So long as I'm reasonably fit, I prefer an extra half-mile or so in the warmup to get the legs moving and I accomplished that today.

This race would be held in uptown Charlotte, starting off relatively flat or downhill and getting rough near the end. I didn't really have a goal; as previously stated I'm a little banged-up but wanted to participate in all the Grand Prix races and see what happened if the points accrued.

5:47, 6:02, 6:23, 0:46 (5:35 pace).

The fast finish up a hill after utterly blowing the third mile would lead one to believe that I saved too much in this thing. I don't think there's much question that I'm still relatively fit, but I'm clearly hurting. I don't like admitting it but it might be time to seek another opinion when it comes to the achilles and the resulting compensation ailments (mostly in the groin/adductor and hamstring areas). I enjoyed racing with Franklin Keathley, though - I think seeing him pass me kept that last half-mile from getting away from me. He got me in the final quarter but I was at least able to break 19.

I would soon be on the shelf for awhile, though...again.

Pre-Race Jitters?

Distance: 3.6 mi.

Time: 27:38.

Pace: 7:37.

I felt good as I cruised around the neighborhood around 4 p.m., trying to get the legs moving in anticipation of a rare nighttime race. There was some tightness in the adductors again but I was hoping the afternoon shakeout would cure all that.

More Effort

Distance: 8 mi.
Time: 59:12.9.
Pace: 7:25.

Today, I actually did put a little more effort into running a faster pace. I turned things up a notch towards the end of this one to get things moving a little bit. The body falls apart on easy days but comes together a little bit when I push, as is often the case with many of us. 

Feeling Good

Distance: 7.75 mi.
Time: 58:20.9.
Pace: 7:32.

Since I'm not doing any speed work, I have only my medium-long days as a barometer to test fitness right now - which is dangerous. We're not supposed to do that. Haha. Nonetheless, without much effort I felt very comfortable at a higher speed today than I have lately. This should not suggest I was trying; merely, it suggests my muscles up in the hips and glute areas are getting a little more loose. I feel comfortable that I'm getting back there but am leaning towards getting a second opinion about my heel pretty soon.

Shorter...

Distance: 7.2 mi.
Time: 56:19.2.
Pace: 7:50.

I took off for the greenway again today, but made a point to just loop back around to it instead of going all the way through town.

I decided to just keep doing my drills and icing, and see if I couldn't get back closer to normal training again. My heel does feel a bit better. Technically, I almost obeyed doctor's orders. Maybe it's time to test things.

Week in Review

Distance: 18.7 mi.
Time: 2:24:23.

There just isn't anything close to consistency in my training right now. I either need to dial it back or just park it altogether. I'm reluctant to do the latter, because my heel seems to be getting better, but I'm not gaining anything by just running for the hell of it right now.

Too Long

Distance: 9.1 mi.
Time: 1:10:25.
Pace: 7:43.

I feel like I've taken Dr. Price's orders by not doing long runs - but then I realize I just haven't been doing them on weekends. Ha! I enjoyed the weather and the scenery today, but ran about four miles too far. I tried to compensate by taking it easy the rest of the week. 

Fun Cruiser

Distance: 9.6 mi.
Time: 1:13:58.
Pace: 7:42.

Not too much to report here, other than I ran too far for an easy route and I had loads of fun. I went from home down the greenway, through downtown, and then back through Dilworth to home. I was really able to get my form down and cruise for a good bit of it.

Week in Review

Distance: 25.8 mi.

I got in a nice tempo with the Charlotte Runners on my favorite tempo route, and I ran a decent race at 80% effort on Saturday. The mileage is low, but that's by design. This was an alright week.

2012 Skyline 5k

Distance: 7.9 mi.

Warmup: 2.2 mi.
Race: 3.1 mi. in 18:37.
Cooldown: 2.6 mi.

I didn't want to miss any Grand Prix series races, as discussed, so I showed up to the CPCC Skyline 5k to try my hand at some short racin.' I am not in top fitness and somewhat injured, so my goal was to run at about 80% effort as long as it could yield a respectable time. I accomplished that by running 18:37 on a fast course without pushing too hard.

I didn't get up in time to meet Mitchell and the crew for a warmup, but I did find a nice parking spot on 6th Street, away from the crowd. I jogged over to the "athletes village" in my Karhus, retrieved my timing chip, and found a place in the bushes to stash my stuff. I also ran into Fillette and he added some more warmup miles with me. This course would feature a very fast downhill finish on Elizabeth Avenue - perfect for a runner of my style and perfect for someone who wanted to half-ass it today.

The starting area was a bit crowded and small, but no matter. I learned my lesson from last year about using my size to push people out of the way at the front rather than lament some chiptime issues after the race. I eased back out of the way a bit as we turned from Kings up 7th and quickly realized I wasn't prepared for a fast race. I watched as Michelle and Dalena practically sailed away from me up ahead but I did manage to catch Jaskot. We joked around for a moment before I left him.

Running down 5th Street sucked, as the road was in the middle of being paved and I struggled for footing. I started to lose a lot of positions here, but I bided my time and gained many of them back by racing down Elizabeth and into the finish. I'm frustrated to be racing among friends and be far from full fitness, but I'm pretty pleased with my time considering where I am right now.

Splits: 5:50, 6:05, 6:00, 0:41 (4:54 pace for final 0.1).

Easy on the Light Rail

Distance: 6.25 mi.
Time: ??

I measured this one but without my Garmin I don't know my time or pace. Let's call it, "relaxed but honest." Despite last night's tempo I wasn't hurting too badly today. I always seem to hurt the most when I'm standing around at work or just getting out of bed - movement after a long period of stillness, in other words. 

A Tempo? What?!

Distance: 11.6 mi.

Warmup: 2.4 mi.
Workout: 5.4 mi. tempo.
Cooldown: 2.8 mi.

Stubborn as a mule, I headed towards the Charlotte Runners group again today and decided to cook up a tempo pace. This was a terrible idea, but I'm getting antsy and I'm supposed to run a 5k this week, anyway. I didn't start with the group; instead, I warmed up on my own from home and headed in their direction by way of Kings Drive. I caught a large pack that included Paul Reinfeld right where they cross Kings and head up away from the hospital. After splitting a 7:01 first mile I worked my arms up the hill and gradually quickened the pace  a bit.

7:01.7, 6:40.3, 6:27.7, 6:33.9, 6:33.5, 2:38.6 (6:27 ppm).

Amped by the thought of trying to catch everyone, I kept my foot on the gas as much as I could stand it, trying to walk the fine line between working the system yet holding back. I failed to catch the group of David Schenck, Terri Johnson, and a new girl named Sarah as they were just too far ahead from where I started, but I was pleased with the effort.

I was not pleased with my stupidity. My achilles swelled up some despite the icing and the pills. I probably could have done without this one.

Week in Review

Distance: 31.7 mi.
Time: 4:01:55.

I actually had a decent week of training, not totally abiding by Dr. Price's suggestions but not throwing them out the window either. I'm on a prescribed anti-inflammatory and icing a good bit and can tell the swelling in my achilles has subsided a bit. I did, however, crank up the pace ever slightly this past Tuesday. Bad Jason! 

Reunited

Distance: 7.03 mi.
Time: 53:53.36.
Pace: 7:40.

Today I was still hurting but nonetheless met up with Mitchell and B-Baum at Old Bell for some miles. Like me, Mike is on a downward cycle after some hard training, only his hasn't lasted 5 weeks. Ha! Brian wanted to make a real long run out of this but the three of us managed to run a few miles together before parting ways.

The Sarcoma Stomp 5k was being held today at McAlpine, and we stopped for awhile to watch the runners compete. For some reason, these McAlpine races always seem to be kept secret. I would think most runners would love a chance to race here after being on the roads all the time, but for whatever reason, I never hear of any of them and they are usually poorly attended. Today was no exception. I believe Cory Tretsky won with a time in the low 17s.

My achilles didn't bother me too much today but I'm still dealing with some tightness elsewhere in the legs. Mitchell opined that my legs were just beat up after months of higher mileage between the full and the half. I contested that I didn't take much recovery time after Thunder Road and I'm now five weeks away from Corporate Cup; however, given the nature of my job - being on my feet all the time - I think it's safe to say the legs could use some rest here and there.

Light Rail Musing

Distance: 8.29 mi.
Time: 1:04:09.3.
Pace: 7:45.

I think I've decided to make up for the lack of speed work, long run, and hills with some medium-long runs - at least that's what it looks like. I think that what really happened is that I wanted to keep exploring my new digs. I really like running from my new townhome and I guess I don't want to let some nagging injuries ruin that. Today I ran down the light rail path for a bit.

Speaking of nagging injuries, I haven't backed off my plan to compete in the entire Grand Prix series this year. So I will be toeing the line at the CPCC Skyline 5k on the 28th. Clearly, I'm far from fit and won't expect much, but I want to try to rack up some points and keep my name in the hat should some of the faster runners not show up every time.

Disobeying Orders

Distance: 9.8 mi.

Today, I set out for my run around 6pm after messing around in my new apartment all day. I missed the burrito training run with Caitlin and Thomas but did run into the girls at the Speed Loop plus Fillette, Eric, and Jamaar. After that I decided I wanted to try to catch up with the Charlotte Runners "five on the booty" group. I joined them where Queens crosses Sherwood - right before it turns into Selwyn. It was clear I was at the back of the pack, which of course triggered my competitive instinct and led to me running much faster than I'm supposed to right now. I can at least say the pace didn't really get quick until the last mile or more, though. I ran a 6:42 and then split just under 6 minutes for .96 miles.

I did a long cooldown back to the apartment for a total of 9.8 miles on the day, then iced my heel.

Exploring the New 'Hood

Distance: 6.63 mi.
Time: 50:34.3.
Pace: 7:41.

I still have the green light to at least run, as long as it's easy and doesn't involve hills. I wanted to explore my new neighborhood; I run through here every week already anyway but it's different when you can just step out your door and you're here. I will say this, though: I'm not really sure how I can avoid hills around these parts, even on the greenway. I enjoyed a nice little midday cruise around the area.

Week in Review

Distance: 4.4 mi.
Time: 37:23.

What can I say, after talking to the doctor I decided I would do my best to listen to what he said. My training has been inconsistent but not nonexistent since Corporate Cup, and maybe everything is just a bit worn out. 

Dr. Dave Price

This morning I met with Dr. Dave Price over at Carolinas Rehab. After my pain issue on Monday, I made an appointment with my primary care physician nurse practitioner and landed a prescription anti-inflammatory. Dr. Price poked and prodded around my achilles and asked a bunch of questions, then did an x-ray. He concluded that my injury was nothing serious, confirming it was achilles tendinitis as I had suspected. He recommended continuing to run in Karhus as they tend to lean the foot forward. Again, I've been dealing with this issue off and on since last September.

He also told me not to do any speed work for three weeks. Ouch. 

Achilles Heel

Distance: 4.4 mi.
Time: 37:03
Pace: 8:37

Today I set off to Beatty Park again to run on the trails. I slowly wound through the woods exploring sections that I had avoided during the previous sojourn. About two miles in, I suddenly came down with some nasty pain in my troublesome right achilles. I had never had it this bad before; in fact, it usually doesn't bother me much at all during the run and only flares up afterward. I stopped and walked awhile but I was in the middle of the woods. I eventually was able to run home after loosening the shoe a good bit, but the pain was tough later on at work. It was the kind of sharpness that makes you feel dizzy - not good.

Week in Review

Distance: 37.5 mi.
Time: 4:45:13.

This was a semi-decent week. I got in two decent workouts and a good long run, plus two recovery runs. The mileage is still very low for me but with some nagging injuries it's probably going to stay that way for a long time. For this week I plan to do speed work on Tuesday and Thursday once again, and I'm hoping to add one more day of easy running just for the mileage.

Fast Company

Distance: 12 mi.
Time: 1:26:36.
Pace: 7:14.

I had plans to meet Brinkley at 8 a.m. at McMullen for today's long run. I never pay attention to our Facebook pace group, so I was pleasantly surprised to see Adam Mayes and Jason Meulemans show up as well. Adam and Jason each intended to do some pickups on the run, so this turned out to be a good bit faster than I anticipated. We ran into Fillette about halfway through, and he stayed with us for the duration of the run.

My left leg continued to bother me and the legs got rather tight near the end. The lungs and heart are still in fantastic condition, however, so a little TLC on the legs should do me right. I still have some added pounds I need to drop, but it will come.

Conversation was good on the run today - a little more goofy than usual, but we all had a great run. I couldn't remember the last time Dave and I had run together, so it was good to see him again and get in a great long run. 

Beatty Trail Run

Distance: 6.03 mi.
Time: 53:50.
Pace: 8:56.

I have enjoyed my recent experiences in Beatty Park. Since today would be an easy day, I decided to explore the trails. This would prove to be a pretty nostalgic afternoon, as I have fond memories of this place from back in the day. It's just that these trails are awfully technical, which can make running difficult.

I had forgotten just how technical the trails were, but I hadn't forgotten where to go. Surprisingly, I never got lost. I meandered around in the woods, circling the park and the lake until it spit me out back onto the road, right near the entrance. My Garmin put forth a valiant effort trying to keep up, but it recorded some pretty wacky splits. Here's the map. You can set it to 'satellite' view and zoom in. Have fun.

Beatty Tempo

Distance: 6.3 mi.

Warmup: 1.84 mi.
Workout: 3 mi. tempo.
Cooldown: 1.46 mi.

Today found me back at Beatty for the second workout of the week, a short tempo run. I felt bloated and dehydrated, and it was a little hot. After a short cooldown I took off around the park roads, looping around fields and past picnic tables here and there. I dealt with some sharp turns and some unexpected inclines, but this type of terrain suits me during workouts because I think it prepares me for race courses better than running on a track would.

19:13.14 - 6:25 avg. 6:20.2, 6:19.3, 6:33.6.

After a short warmup and a quick start, I wasn't surprised to find myself bonking mile three. I debated hitting 'start' on the watch and throwing in a fourth mile in an attempt to save this thing, but I was pressed for time. I just did what I always do and blocked out the bad thoughts. The odd terrain and the sharp turns on my course today made it extremely difficult to keep the tempo, but I mean that in a good way. Train hard, race easy. I'll be back, Beatty Park. I'll be back.

New Recovery Route

Distance: 4.94 mi.
Time: 39:07.
Pace: 7:56.

I don't move in over at Sedgefield until the 14th, but I ran from there today anyway for what will likely be my basic five-mile recovery route. I ran by Run For Your Life and Ru San's, through the Speed Loop, down Morehead, and back down the greenway through Freedom Park. It was enjoyable despite some extra muggy temperatures.

Beatty Park Hill Work

Distance: 8.18 mi.

Warmup: 2.65 mi.
Workout: 8*1/4-mi w/hill w/1-min rest.
Cooldown: 2.79 mi.

My temporary home is right behind Beatty Park, near Weddington, and I decided to head on over there today for some speed work. No use complaining about the awful development out here when I have gracious parkland at my disposal.

I used to run and play basketball at Beatty pretty regularly when I was in high school and college, but this was probably the first time I had been there in about eight years. It's much bigger than I remembered, and fully constructed.

I simply cruised around the park roads until I found a serviceable hill for some quarter-mile repeats. I measured a route that would go back down the gravel road by the lake, then take a sharp right up the asphalt hill. Eight hilly quarters with one-minute rest would be the order of business.

1:28.5 (0.1 mi.), 1:23.4 (.07), 1:25.5 (.12), 1:26.5 (.08), 1:30.4 (.12), 1:30.6 (.09), 1:29.8 (.09), 1:25.6 (.07).

I started off with a bit too much excitement, and that was reflected in the later splits. I think my slowing down had more to do with a lack of mental toughness than any physical failures; it's simply been awhile since I pushed myself at any distance, but especially a short distance. I closed with one of my better repeats and I think these times are pretty fast considering the hill, the turns, and the terrain. I'm pretty happy with it.

Week in Review

Distance: 35.6 mi.
Time: 4:32:07.

The rejuvenation run on Monday and the Sunday death march around southeast Charlotte helped beef up an otherwise lackluster week. I seem to be back on track now, however, and look forward to increasing the mileage a tad in the coming week. With the worst part of my move behind me, distractions are a bit limited.

Southeast Charlotte Sucks: A Lesson in Land-Use Planning

Distance: 10.67 mi.
Time: 1:21:22.
Pace: 7:38.

I'm in between homes for the next two weeks, and as a result I'm staying with family in southeast Charlotte. I'm eternally grateful for the hospitality and the huge home, but this side of town is nothing short of awful for running. I will never take for granted being able to live and run in Dilworth and Myers Park every day.

I set out through Matthews by the Siskey Y, cheating death as there was no sidewalk for a long stretch of road. I do not understand this at all. So many of the connecting roads out here do not have sidewalks. How is this safe? What happens when a resident wants to walk down the street? I suppose the answer to this is: they don't. This is America, after all; people don't think you can walk around unless you live in a sub-division. Anyone who passed by me probably immediately thought I was either (a) an idiot or (b) running from the law. Maybe both. On the bright side, this led to an exciting moment crossing the I-485 bridge, when I simply waited until there were no cars and sprinted across it as if my life depended on it.

I made my way, alive if not well, down to Highway 51. Here, of course, there were sidewalks. It would seem to me that if you had to pick and choose where to put a sidewalk, then the busy four-lane highway would not seem to need one compared to a short, two-lane connecting road in the middle of a massive residential area. Nevertheless, I ran, on the sidewalk, from Fullwood Lane all the way to the Arboretum Shopping Center - at the intersection of 51 and Providence Road.

The cool thing about this stretch of the run is that I had some massive hills, which served the dual purpose of hill training while also easing my aching left leg. Pushing on the ups seemed to make the numb feeling go away in an area that has been a mild concern to me. I crested the hill and turned left on Kuykendall, where of course I once again would have to run with no sidewalks.

Check that - every now and then, there would be a sidewalk, and then it would disappear into a sub-division. Again, if you can only put sidewalks in certain areas, then I would think the quiet neighborhood streets would be less of a priority than the curvy connecting road. (Ideally, there would be sidewalks on all the roads, but you get the idea.) This is simply horrible land-use planning, and it helps explain why suburban housing costs are at such a great risk of plummeting without warning: there is no sustainability to a community that leads nowhere, means nothing, does not connect. This entire side of town is filled with small sub-divisions that fit that description. The houses are beautiful and the neighborhoods are often very quiet and peaceful, but ultimately there is no sense of place. This is the type of planning that has dominated America since right after World War II, and I think Charlotte has done a fantastic job of attempting to turn that around (see: Plaza-Midwood, NoDa, Phillips Place, Birkdale Village, South End, et al.).

You might be thinking, "But Jason, I don't like to run or ride my bike, so none of this matters to me." Fair enough, but you're still a slave to your car. Some of these people probably spend five minutes simply driving out of their neighborhoods, only to go to a place that looks exactly like the one they've just left. This obviously results in a much higher cost of living, seemingly without much reward.

On the bright side, there's always the McMullen Greenway, and many people don't even need to drive to it!

Geography lesson over. Sorry.

Lake Park Recovery

Distance: 2.96 mi.
Time: 22:2.3.
Pace: 7:35.

For today's extended cooldown run I found myself in my parents' subdivision for some miles that went by a little too quickly. The good news is I absolutely love my Karhus. Again, I want to see how many miles I get out of them before fully converting, but they are far more comfortable than any Nikes I've worn, and this particular model feels very light for a trainer. 

Extreme Rust-Buster

Distance: 7.7 mi.

Warmup: 2.3 mi.
Workout: 4*1/2-mi w/2-min rest + 2*1/4-mi w/1-min rest.
Cooldown: 2.3 mi.

I didn't really know what to expect today, so I can't be too disappointed, but I was a bit worried at one point during this one. I was able to rebound from a slow start but it's clear that I was a bit rusty. I don't feel I've lost any aerobic ability, but sore muscles and some down time have clearly thrown me off a bit. After a warmup down the McAlpine greenway I set out to do some half-mile repeats on a slightly rolling section of the trail.

3:01.59 (0.14 mi in 2:00), 2:59.77 (0.18), 3:06.84 (0.12), 2:53.18.

I was really doing some soul-searching on that third repeat; I couldn't figure out what my problem was. My foot felt fine, however, and so did the achy left leg, so I did what I so often do when things aren't going well: I fought through the doubts and pushed on. My fourth repetition wasn't phenomenal by my standards but the way I finished strong told me I didn't have much to worry about - that I was just doing some much needed dusting of the cobwebs. I took two minutes and then did a couple quarters.

1:22.81 (0.08 mi in 1:00), 1:22.1.

These weren't blazing fast, either, but after how awful I got started I was pleased with the effort. It won't be long before I will be doing mile repeats at this pace, but today's times will do just fine for where I am in the cycle. Where am I, you ask? I am coming off a hard-fought half marathon and ramping down to a season of shorter races. So, yeah...this is just fine. 

Rejuvenating Miles

Distance: 14.34 mi.
Time: 1:48:55.83 mi.
Pace: 7:36.

I did not feel the slightest bit motivated to go long today, but changing the mindset was exactly the goal as I slapped on the Karhus. I wanted something to get my mind back in the mood to run. My achilles has been feeling remarkably better of late, but I've also experienced a good bit of tightness in the left hamstring-glute-groin areas. Some icing, stretching, massaging, and hydrating has helped but this was a bit of a tough run to get through.

I met Adrienne nearly four miles in at Freedom Park, and running with her for six miles made this one go by significantly faster. We toured through the neighborhoods, making a point to stay on the side streets and take in the scenery. I bid her adieu back at the park and set off down the greenway for the rest of my run. Despite some serious tightness earlier on, I rebounded and felt better near the end. I would love to heal the ailments, but I clearly haven't lost much in the way of fitness.

I didn't know it at the time, but this would be the last time I set out my door to run from Eastover. It was a good way to end four years of running from this neighborhood, the final 18 months of which have been significantly more purposeful.

Week in Review

Distance: 16 mi.
Time: 2:01.11.

I barely ran at all this week, but the two runs included a nice test run that largely went well and a pacing effort with Adrienne in her first 5k of the year. 

Raceday Pace Work

Distance: 6.6 mi.

Warmup: 2.1 mi.
Race: 3.13 mi.
Cooldown: 1.4 mi.

My parents' church, Central Church of God, put on a race today, the proceeds of which went towards prevention of human trafficking. A fantastic cause and an opportunity to win were easy draws here. However, I had been signed up for over a month, and my plans have changed due to how poorly I've felt on recent runs. I thought about making it a game-time decision; however, things have taken a turn for the better and instead of pushing my luck I decided I wanted to keep it that way. Adrienne signed up this week, and I told her that if I started talking about racing hard, her job was to talk me out of it.

I found myself grabbing my hamstring again on our warmup, so there would be no temptation to run hard. I knew Adrienne was due for a PR at this distance, so I told her I would just run a certain pace and we would all see what happens. Christi Carter and Brian Baum would be racing with us, as well.

After surveying the competition at the starting line, I went ahead and congratulated Brian on winning the race and gave my regrets for not being willing to push him. Adrienne, Christi, and I got out of the gates a little quick in anticipation of the hilly third mile, and made our way around some eager youngsters and a lead patrol officer that could politely be described as an effing moron. This guy wasn't even moving when we came out of the church parking lot, having to be coaxed by a volunteer and forcing us to go around him on the sidewalk. He eventually had to speed around the cones in the outside lane to get ahead of the pack, but according to Brian he kept stopping to talk to the other officers and never really got far enough ahead.

I stayed between Christi and Adrienne down Providence as we turned into some neighborhoods. The latter's breathing began to get heavy but we were doing great and didn't mind letting the former pull away. We all caught some encouragement from Jamaar as we turned on Randolph and braced ourselves for the big hill. I looked at my watch at the top and realized that not only was this course legit, but Adrienne easily had her PR. Christi took first and AA second on the women's side and both were happy to get the 5k season started off with extremely positive efforts.

As for me, I was a bit remorseful that I hadn't gone for the W but felt it was the right decision. My foot didn't give me any trouble during the race and felt a lot less stiff afterward than it has in awhile. There will be plenty of other opportunities for fun later in the year. Also, despite the pace car troubles this race was very well-done for a new event. I plan to be back next year.

Testing the Aches

Distance: 9.34 mi.
Time: 1:08:12.39.
Pace: 7:19.

As mentioned in last week's post, I decided to get in some extended rest in order to cure some of the aches and pains. Today I wanted to test how things felt so I parked on Princeton Avenue and cruised through the park and down the greenway. I instantly felt like I could handle some more miles so I wandered on over to the Philosopher's Stone to check out the Meetup scenery.

David Schenck got out a little quick, so naturally I just had to chase him, and next thing you know my "test" run had become a nice little tempo through the million-dollar homes of Eastover. It felt nice to push but I was in no condition for such an effort, and it wasn't long before I just packed it in and stopped to stretch. David passed by and asked if I was ok and I gave him the "thumbs-up" signal while stretching and drinking water (there's a fountain at Colville and Dotger..). I had turned a couple of 6:30s but my hamstring locked up near the fourth mile since we had left P-Stone.

After I felt sufficiently hydrated, I headed back towards Freedom Park by way of the Booty Loop, stopping for water and to stretch a couple more times. In addition to the aches, I'm also a little worried about some extra pounds I've put on, but it shouldn't be too much of an issue at this point.  

Week in Review

Distance: 20.9 mi.
Time: 2:44:09.

Post-race week was supposed to be a lighter effort, with a workout - or not - depending on how I had recovered. Well, I haven't been fatigued in the slightest but I've got aches and pains all over the place. So I didn't do a whole lot this week. As previously discussed, the timing for some down weeks is good as I'm preparing for a big move. 

Adrienne's Fartlek

Distance: 8.5 mi.
Time: 1:06:22.
Pace: 7:49.

My only plan for this one was to help Adrienne with her tempo workout for the day. She tends to downplay these things in an effort to avoid pressure and perform better, so I didn't know much about what we were doing other than that it was a form of fartlek. I just followed her and did accordingly when she sped up or slowed down. We did most of this on the greenway and course at McAlpine.

Using our shadows, I just tried to stay right in front of her and observe form. My achilles bothered me a good bit again but did feel better when I loosened my right shoe. At this point, I'm just trying to take it easy for a bit without losing too much speed. Also, my Garmin was dead so I'm completely guessing on the time above, but the distance is easy to figure out at McAlpine.

Run with Laura

Distance: 6.28 miles.
Time: 51:06.
Pace: 8:09.

Every Tuesday, Theoden organizes a run that meets from the Observer and goes on various routes. Adrienne and her friend Laura are usually present but this was my first time. Since Theoden couldn't make it, this was actually the "Run with Laura" instead of the "Run with Theoden." I met Matt Bush and a couple other people as we set off past the Dowd and ran down the path next to the light rail.

It was certainly neat to run down the light rail path; I'd never done that before and I'm always up for new routes. However, it will be an oven soon, as there's no shade, and I found it to be a bit unsafe. You have to cross the tracks several times and the warnings of oncoming trains seem insufficient to me. There just seems to be an issue, in general, with light rail safety.

Anyway, it was a fun group but my achilles bothered me more than it did yesterday. I've started icing it some, but while this is a recurring issue, I don't remember it being this bad before. I'm not that worried, but stay tuned, as always.

Monday Night Dowd Group

Distance: 6.11 mi.
Time: 46:40.51.
Pace: 7:39.

Two days after my half, I met up with the Monday evening group from the Dowd at 5:30. This run is organized by Caleb and is always a good one. This time it was attended by Boyd, myself, Jocelyn, Carolyn, Paul, Eggers, Brinkley, and Jay. Paul joked that Eggers, Brinkley, and I always seem to come as a package deal. I was just looking forward to getting in some shakeout miles, as my legs and right foot have been excruciatingly tight since the race.

We looped around through Dilworth and the Freedom Park areas before heading back, 6+ miles later. I was glad to get in some easy miles, feeling much more loose afterward. I also enjoyed sharing war stories with Eggers, who raced the Columbia half, and Paul, who always loves to talk shop.

Week in Review

Distance: 38 mi.
Time: 4:41:28.

This was the week of my big spring race, which after some deliberation turned out to be the Alston Bird Corporate Cup Half Marathon. I couldn't be more pleased with it, all things considered. I'll take a 1:24 half debut on a tough course anytime. I was plagued with leg cramps again during the race, however, something I'll have to figure out very soon.

2012 Corporate Cup Half Marathon

Distance: 16.8 mi.

Warmup: 1.9 mi.
Race (according to Garmin): 13.18 mi. in 1:24:00.59 - 6:23 ppm.
Cooldown: 1.7 mi.

Once I announced my decision to bump down from a full to a half, the Alston Bird Corporate Cup effectively became my "big race" of the winter/spring. Since it's only a half, I have entertained ideas of jumping in the distance again at Racefest April 14, but this was essentially it. This race would be the benefactor of the 17-20-mile runs I did for several weeks straight, and of some pretty tough tempo workouts.

After a gigantic pasta dinner last night around 6:30, I awoke from a good night's sleep just before 6 a.m. and had some oatmeal and a banana. Adrienne would be racing, too, but wisely not going out hard after some downtime in the training lately. She ended up treating it as a fast long run - but did beat her time from Savannah last fall. With her in the passenger seat, I rolled up to the Dowd just after 7 and began to get ready. The chip pickup experience was easy despite the massive crowds inside One Wells Fargo. I immediately bolted back to the Dowd to change shoes, ditch my winter clothing, and use the men's room one last time. I was comfortable with having enough time but would have preferred more than 2 miles warmup.

There wasn't much of a setup at the starting line, but I was excited to see some friendly faces. Brian Baum, John Fillette, Tom Ricks, Clayton Venhuizen, Jay Barringer aka "The Dark Fox," and Chad Crockford were all present and accounted for. I also ran into Thomas, Michelle, and Danielle, all planning to go medium-easy with Tobacco Road eight days away.

The start command was kinda confusing. I basically said good luck to Jay, who darted off to the front right as the announcements began. They were brief and then all of a sudden we were off. I actually prefer minimal pageantry at the start of these things. I tucked in behind Fillette and did my best to start conservatively. Tom had planned to hit 1:25 - 1:27 as a fast tempo in preparation for Boston, so I hung around with him as we kept the first mile very conversational.

First five mile splits: 6:18.1, 6:23.6, 6:28.6, 6:24.5, 6:25.2.

In hindsight, if I had anything to do over I would have gone out faster. I wanted to start conservatively and save my legs for the rough hills that would await. After the first mile I pulled away from Tom a bit and latched on to a guy who said he was "shooting for 6:15s." The 5k was run at the same time as the half, strangely, and when they turned off to finish there was more room to run. My new friend and I sidled up to another runner and basically ran three abreast down 3rd Street for a little more than a mile, exchanging friendly banter all the way. Up a slight hill towards the end of the fifth mile, I decided to abandon ship and pull ahead a bit. I came through five miles right at 32-flat, just slightly slower than my 5-mile tempo with the Charlotte Runners four nights prior. I began to develop some nasty tightness in my left hamstring and worried about being all alone all of a sudden. I decided the best way to dispose of these thoughts was to throw in a surge.

Splits for 6-9: 6:14.5, 6:20.6, 6:14.8, 6:20.6.

I saved my race by consistently pushing in this section, by myself nearly the whole way, and not going so hard that I trashed my legs. I think the pace was really even here considering that the 6:20s involved some steep hills (Providence Rd and then, later, Colony). I had deemed the Colony Rd hill as a make-or-break section, and my surge meant I would have some targets as I went up it. That's exactly what I had wanted. One guy actually peeled off and hopped in a porta-jon before I got to him. I caught another runner going uphill by Myers Park and encouraged him to come with me. He didn't and so I went after Miguel Perez, a great runner who had been my target since Providence Rd. I caught him but smartly realized I better not get away just yet. This guy is going to eat me for breakfast if I try to pull away from him now, I thought. I eased up a bit and we took turns blocking the wind for each other going up another Colony hill, then down Roswell past Myers Park Country Club.

Splits for 10-12: 6:24.3, 6:25.7, 6:36.6.

After that hilly Colony Rd section, my legs really began to feel heavy as I tried to pull away from my competition. I was thankful for the presence of Miguel, which helped me avoid zoning out as I was actually scared to death that he would catch me. I was happy to see Eric and Jess Bilbrey as I began my death march; Eric shouted some helpful words of strategic encouragement as I gave him the "so-so" sign. Running down the Booty Loop and fighting my body every step of the way, I tried to think of all those Tuesday tempo runs with the Charlotte Runners that traversed this exact same path. Right around that time I found Bevin, who had just showed up with her sign. Coincidence? I think not. Feelings of pure hell were actually interspersed with fleeting moments of peace and loose legs, and despite slowing down up some hills I managed to keep things from slipping away too badly.

Splits for the final 1.18: 6:18.2, 1:04.8 (5:56 ppm).

I survived the Morehead hill and began to charge towards the finish. My fastest mile was #6, but my last mile was my fourth-fastest split. I'm pretty pleased with that considering how rough the last few miles of this race were. I was amused to see John Cendroski and his girlfriend here, as John cursed at me belligerently. I later found out Adrienne had told him to do that, as she knows I respond better to negative reinforcement. That's not exactly what I had in mind but it was a nice change of mindset as I was hanging on for dear life. With a quarter-mile to go, one final turn of the head assured me I would not be caught from behind, and I continued to push on in an effort to break 1:24. I missed it by two seconds according to the official results. This could have been avoided by simply being closer to the front, but hindsight's always 20/20, right?

Race Results

I finished 16th overall, ironically one spot behind Fillette, even though he was more than 90 seconds ahead. I also won my age group, making me for two-for-two since I turned 30.

Splits Chart
Map

None of that really matters, I guess. What I wanted from this race was to know where I stand with longer distances, and I walked away encouraged. I'm far from satisfied and can look ahead to where I really want to be, but I am definitely happy with today. Another positive note is the way I raced - perhaps too slow at the start, but I was able to surge ahead before it was too late and pick off several people near the end, without being passed. I can look back on this journal entry and see that today was a nice building block and a great way to close the first quarter of 2012.

'Til next time, kids. Thanks for comin' out.