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.

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. 

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.

Race Group Workout

Distance: 11.6 mi.
Time: 1:19:11.

Warmup: 3.45 mi. @ 7:20 ppm.
Workout: 5k @ 8k pace w/ 3:30-jog recovery + 3.5 mi. @ half-marathon pace.
Cooldown: 1.05 mi. @ 8:55 ppm.

I put my second workout of the week on hold this past Thursday when Brinkley asked me to pace him during the race. He had signed up to run Charlotte's 10-Miler. I was excited to see how this event would transpire, as it's a rare distance and a first-time event. Suffice it to say that Start to Finish did a fantastic job.

Now, back to the part where I'm supposed to pace David: this would be a little tricky considering that he's a bit faster than me; how are you supposed to pace someone that's faster than you? I figured I would just pick a spot and see if he had a pack to run with, and if not, just hang on at a pretty hard effort for as long as I felt up to it. He wouldn't need my help but I figured it could be fun.

This course starts at the Earth Fare at Johnston Rd/485, winds down Johnston to 51, then traverses the extent of the McMullen Greenway. A race down the greenway - how awesome! I parked at the Johnston Rd entrance to the greenway, said hi to Kati and Ben, then went ahead and got in gear. It was pretty cold. I wouldn't have the luxury of coming back to the car to change shoes so I went ahead and slapped on the racers.

I did a fast warmup, including one mile at about 6:45 pace, to get the legs ready for the uptempo pace. When I saw flashing lights approaching near the one-mile mark of the greenway, I stepped off to the side and watched the runners come through. I spotted Aaron Linz and Eric Bilbrey, along with a few others, before seeing Dave approach. He had a small pack just ahead of him and no one close behind. I took off and then eased in.

18:54.6 for 3.11 miles. 6:04, 6:03, 6:08, 0:38.

I immediately decided I wouldn't be hanging around with Brinkley for long. The pace was well ahead of what I needed to be doing in a workout, especially after having come down with a mild virus. Besides, after the first mile I was more in the way than anything else. Dave formed a pack with Walt Guyer and a few other dudes as I tucked in behind and eventually slowed down. I came through 5k in about 18:50 after we passed Kati and Ben, and I was done.

0.43 mi. jog @ 8:13 ppm.

I took about three minutes and change to jog and rest and waited to see who else would come through. I decided to get a few miles at 6:20 pace or so. When I saw Michelle and Dalena running together, I called out that I would join them momentarily. They seemed approving of this idea, so I stretched for a bit and took off down the greenway again.

22:33.7 for 3.56 mi. 6:12.9, 6:15.8, 6:34.7, 3:30.2.

We hopped off at Trader Joe's and began the toughest section of the course - the hilly finish. It was windy and at first I was trying to stay out of the way but then I realized I could make myself useful by pulling in front of the girls and blocking the wind. Dalena thanked me as I apologized for not thinking of that sooner! We turned into some neighborhoods and things got pretty rough, as reflected in the splits above. I was amused at the sights of Bert and Ernie, also known as Kahn and Thomas. At one uphill I turned and tried to shout encouragement; the ladies were fighting hard.

Things got easier after that as I pulled off about half a mile from the finish. Dalena and Michelle went on to grab the first and second spots on the women's side.

As for me, I got in an excellent day's work. This was similar to what I had done the previous Tuesday: make the body tired, then try to run half marathon pace (or thereabouts) for a few miles.

Do It While You Can

Distance: 20.0 mi.
Time: 2:32:47.15 - 7:38 ppm.

I wasn't really sure what I would end up doing today, but I was determined to get in at least 15. It didn't happen this morning. After the race yesterday Adrienne and I each went straight to work. There was no run this morning because of church, after which I was still feeling exhausted. But David Brinkley wanted to meet, and I knew I would hate myself later if I didn't get in a good run. He wanted 15, and I told him I would meet at his house in Madison Park and do 15-20 myself, depending on how I felt.

We started off slowly enough running towards the Booty Loop. It was here that we encountered Compton, and I stopped him to ask what he had planned for the day. Like us, he had just started his long run and wanted to keep the pace easy, having raced the Winter Flight yesterday as well. As evidenced by the map, we end up basically running around in circles for most of this one. I actually thought that made it go by a lot faster. The three of us were together for 9 miles before Compton branched off to go home.

We headed back behind Montford and crossed Park Road right at the McAlister's, towards Dave's house. He was ready to be done and I was tightening up a good bit. When we got back to his place I spent a few extra minutes stretching and taking water. As before, I had been taking Gu chomps throughout this run, and I actually felt pretty well-fed - just very tight in the legs. I had still felt great a few miles earlier, however, and so I was determined to go the full 20. I told Dave I didn't want to be in this position again next week - desperately needing to amp up the distance and not knowing if I had it in me.

I didn't want to go too far from Dave's house, so I just ran back and forth on Seneca for the last five miles - towards South, then back the other way, then back towards South and back to Dave's. Seneca is a tough road to run on when you're tired; it's very hilly. We had kept the pace easy throughout but I was pleased to get the 20 done.

Bad Muscles, Good Company

Distance: 16 mi.
Time: 2:00:00 - 7:30 ppm.

This one hurt, but I got the miles in at a decent pace. I think I worked harder than necessary on account of being a little overdressed, but it was 22 degrees when I started so I bundled up. I don't have any recent experience in running in weather this cold since I was injured last winter and haven't seriously trained through a winter in nine years. I need some new jogging pants.

Anyway, I started by myself before being joined by Mitchell and Brinkley. The former only wanted to run 8 miles so we went to Harris and back before dropping him off. I think I failed to mention in previous posts that I have started using Gu chomps instead of the Gu gel during long runs, and certainly plan to do the same during any long race. I got the idea from Brewer, who mentioned that constantly sucking or chewing on one of the chomps helped him stay hydrated and somewhat full during the race. As this is my second time using them, I can say I feel the same way. I also don't feel quite as hungry or drained after a run.

I was feeling awfully tight today, stopping to stretch or to re-lace my shoes or to simply slow down the pace more than usual. I got it done, though. I was hoping to go for 17 but this will work. On to the next one.

2011 Thunder Road Marathon

Race: 26.2 miles.
Time: 03:29:47 - 8:01 ppm. 10k split, 45:26; Half split, 1:36:29; 20 mi split, 2:31:28. 83rd overall, 12th in age group.
Full Results

Well, where to begin? I am about to write the details of how I finally became a marathoner. As I write this the following Monday, I still don't think it has sunk in yet. I spent most of Saturday after the race being disappointed that I didn't run faster - I thought I could at least get 3:15, and was well on my way all the way through mile 18 before my leg muscles started cramping up. That's crazy talk though - I finished the thing, and in a very respectable time. I'm hungry for another shot at it, but I'm very proud of what I accomplished. I'm going to describe this event in detail, breaking it down into sections.

Pre-Race
After a restless night's sleep, I jumped out of bed at 5:20 a.m. and ate some oatmeal and a banana. I showered and took care of some pre-race grooming and then proceeded to put together my racing outfit. I was going to wear my longer, pocketed Under Armour shorts and an Upgrade Lifestyle tech tee. On top of that would be a long-sleeve dry-fit, my Advantage Parking hat, and some North Face gloves. These items would be shed when I deemed myself properly warmed up.

I left home and arrived at the Bank of America Corporate Center around 6:45 - plenty of time. I parked there and hung out in Founders Hall for a bit. It was just me and a couple security guards - very quiet. Around 7 I jogged down to Three Wells Fargo, where I would meet David Brinkley, his girlfriend Alisha and sister Karrie, Daniel Eggers, Josh Brewer, Brian Baum, and Mike Oelz. David's friend Jeff was also there. I stretched out for a bit and put the two gels I would be using last - including one with caffeine - in my shorts and put the other two in my gloves. It was under 40 at the time and I figured I would keep the gloves on for awhile. Baum actually joined us later and informed me of a bathroom at Panera Bread that had been empty when he used it. All the buildings downtown were packed with runners, surprisingly. That's surprising because normally everyone crowds into the convention center. I later found out the city decided to throw another "Screw You" at this event by locking the convention center at the last minute. Wow... There was no sign of Oelz or Brewer yet as I jogged down to Panera, making sure my watch was working, used the bathroom one last time, and then jogged back to Tryon for the start, right in front of the Levine Center for the Arts. Adam Mull spotted me and we exchanged a man-hug and wished each other luck. Stephen Spada yelled out good luck from a distance. I found Oelz and Eggers in the corral, and then spotted a long-haired, shirtless Josh Brewer. We embraced and he mentioned, ever so stoically, that this was a great cause for the three of us to be reunited. I agreed and mentioned that he was a beast for running this thing shirtless. I looked around for Stan Austin and anyone else who looked like a pace leader, with poor results.

Miles 1-6: Feeling the Pace
I left Eggers, Brewer, Oelz, and Baum and settled further in the corral because I didn't want to get caught up in running too fast. I had lost Brinkley and Jamaar, who had planned on attaching himself to David in the hopes of running a huge PR in the half. There was still no sign of any pacers. The national anthem really got me fired up, and after a casual command of "Go" we were off. Here I was, actually running a marathon. Surprisingly, I had never really gotten nervous. I knew this was going to be a very long morning and that I had plenty of time to ease into things. Before we turned onto Third Street, I looked down at my Garmin and noticed that it wasn't measuring distance or pace. Are you kidding me? I shut it off and restarted it as we jogged down Third and into the morning sun. The watch began the process of locating satellites, and I tried not to panic as minutes passed by and it still hadn't come on. We crossed the first mile marker just under I-277 and finally, my watch came on. I could still use it to gauge my pace, which is all that really mattered, but unfortunately it's useless for judging the data post-race. Oh well. I knew something was bound to go wrong but I didn't need it that badly.

We ran up Third/Providence, turned on Charlottetowne, and then again on Randolph. I tried to hug the curbs so as to avoid running further than necessary. There was a large crowd of us running together and I made a point not to let myself get stuck behind someone who was running too slow. Doing so led to me running a 7:02 mile around the third mile, which unfortunately would prove to be my fastest mile of the day. Other than that, though, I was doing a great job of keeping the pace easy. We ran down Colville and turned on Providence and I tried to ask the people around me if they knew where the pacer was. No one had seen anybody. I sidled up next to an older woman and began chatting with her. I never introduced myself but given the results I discovered her to be Julie Spitzer from Greenville, SC, aged 40-44. She looked like she knew what she was doing and told me she was shooting for around 3:20 and that she kept an even pace if I wanted to hang around. She told me this was her 11th marathon so I figured she knew what she was doing. Julie is about 5 feet tall, if that, so I had a hard time keeping track of her amongst the other runners, but I tried not to let her get too far ahead of me. She put some distance on me up the steep Providence Road hill, but I never let her stray too far away. At mile 5, the intersection of Providence and Sharon Amity, I passed my parents and Eggers' wife Katie for the first time. I could barely see them because the sun was in my eyes.  After that I took my first gel and split the 10k at 45:26 - 7:20 per mile, perfect. I was truly keeping things easy at this point, which is all I really wanted to do.

Miles 7-15: Enjoying the Sights and Sounds
I saw Ryan Watson in Foxcroft and talked to him for a little bit; he and his friend were running the half. I left them and ran down Sharon, waving and pumping my fist every time I passed a crowd of people. I was now gearing up for the Booty Loop section, where I was prepared to shed some clothing, knowing my parents would be there. I took off my gloves and hat, then immediately put my hat back on as I felt it was still a bit cold. I tossed my parents the gloves as they waved and cheered, then passed Kati Robertson and Ben Malmquist as they did the same. Several people later told me they didn't recognize me on account of the hat, but oh well! Running down Queens Road West, I found myself catching up to Julie, then running by her. I knew I may regret this but I wanted to go on feel, and I was feeling great as I began to put some distance between myself and her. The half-marathoners were about done and I continued to reel in several of them. I turned splits of 7:19, 7:14, and 7:17 on this section of the course, even though it was hilly. When I got to the big hill on Morehead I eased back a bit so it wouldn't hurt too much, then turned and waved as Jason Martin and John Compton (and Caitlin? I heard a female voice cheering but couldn't see who it was) cheered me past. Jason remarked that I was incognito with the hat and long sleeves. When we got to the half-marathon split, I pumped my fist and slapped hands with Rob Ducsay, the Chic-fil-a cow, and several other people. There was a raucous crowd and some music at this point and I really fed off that. Immediately, though, things got pretty lonely. The half-marathoners were gone now, and so too was most of the crowd support. I passed John Fillette and Dezi Kabouris and came through the half in 1:36:29 - on pace for a 3:13 marathon. I had not started out too quickly and was still feeling great at this point.

Running down Tryon Street, I came upon another runner who appeared to be struggling a bit and I asked him his goal. He said he was hoping to run 3:30 but had no idea whether he was on track or not, having failed to properly do the math after seeing the clocks. Someone get this guy a GPS watch. I told him that he was way ahead of schedule and may want to hang back as the course was about to get pretty rough. He thanked me and I went by him. Helping other runners, and being helped in return, was about to become a big theme at this point in the race.

I rolled down Camden Avenue and tried to ignore the aroma from Price's Chicken Coop and Phat Burrito. Emily Hansen was here cheering with a bunch of other girls, and she even ran a few strides with me, remarking that I looked like I was doing great. Well, I was feeling great! I passed my parents in front of Pike's and tossed them my hat as they waved and cheered.

Waving at Mom and Dad as I approach them on Camden Avenue.

Miles 16-20: A Turn for the Worse
I found myself unpleasantly surprised at how awful the downtown section was. I knew there would be some hills on Mint, Third, and Trade, and I knew the pavement would be rougher on the legs in this section, but the placement on the course combined with the sudden lack of crowd support made this, in my opinion, the worst part of the course by far. I passed Theoden Janes near the stadium and called out, "How long is this race, again?" He laughed and told me I was looking good. I soon started hurting, though. After we came down Trade and turned on Caldwell, Julie came trotting past me and quickly disappeared up the road. Oops. Maybe I should have stayed with her back on the Booty Loop. I passed Mike Mitchell on Caldwell Street and gave him the so-so signal when he asked how I was feeling. I passed my parents again at the corner of Parkwood and Davidson and tossed them my long-sleeve shirt.

I ran up Davidson and started walking. I had stopped a couple times previously to shake out some leg cramps but this was the first time I had actually stopped to walk. My left foot was completely numb, and when I tried to stretch my legs my calf locked up and I kind of fell down onto the curb. A runner passed and asked if I was ok. "Just leg cramps," I responded, "my legs just quit working but I'm ok." "Just try to run through it," she said. I found that even just walking for about thirty seconds seemed to make me feel better, so I just tried to shake things off. At this point I had taken three Gu gels and water at every stop, so I didn't think I was dehydrated. I hadn't started out too fast and I hadn't stopped to use the bathroom or for any other reason at all. Everything had been perfect up to this point, and now leg cramps were ruining what had been shaping up as an incredible marathon debut. For awhile I simply ran through the pain but it would get to the point where my legs would actually lock up completely, and I had to catch myself on the curb to avoid falling down.

The Final 10k: Toughing it Out and Staying Positive
The clock at mile 20 read 2:31:28, and so I realized that even if I ran the last 10k in an hour I would still be right at 3:30, and that would be a time I could be proud of in my first marathon. The fears of hitting the wall that clouded my brain when I was downtown had subsided because I had, in fact, hit the wall, and now it was just a matter of getting through it. I composed myself when I ran through NoDa, passing through the "wall" which I found was about as wide as a doorway. I was wobbly at this point and almost ran into it. I was disappointed at the lack of crowd support here - I had been told it would be good and it was almost nonexistent. I managed to put together an 8:36 mile in this section, which I can assure you took everything I had. I was still running when I turned onto the Plaza, when once again my legs locked up and I almost fell down in front of a startled police officer. I had passed Dave's friend Jeff downtown, and he had passed me back on Davidson, and we continued to go around each other a few times in the last part of the race. I also did the same thing with another runner who introduced himself as Devin. Devin told me this was his 20th marathon and that I was really blowing it out of the water for a first-timer. I thanked him and we tried to encourage each other as he was also half-running, half-walking on account of leg cramps. I passed my parents and chugged an entire bottle of water as Devin and I limped down the Plaza. There was a large crowd in the middle of the road, and the runner in front of me took a beer that he was offered, which caused the crowd to go nuts. He drank a little bit of it and dumped the rest on his head.

I was no longer worried at this point because I knew we were almost done. I left Devin and passed Jeff for good on Hawthorne Lane. Some older guys asked me if I knew the course and I told them there was a big hill coming up and then they were home free. They thanked me and wished me luck as they trotted past and soldiered on. Several runners passed me when I was walking and said something to the effect of, "come on man, you got this." I appreciated the encouragement but I ran when I could and walked when I got to the point of falling over, and this was basically how the race went for me all the way to the finish. I am proud to say that I actually ran all the way up the Hawthorne hill, partly because Jason Martin was screaming at me. Thanks, Jason. Without the support of other runners and my friends, this race would have been a whole lot tougher. Jason seemed legitimately concerned when he saw me and I told him I was dealing with cramped muscles and just trying to get through it.

When we turned on Martin Luther King I found myself ecstatic and in disbelief that we were actually about to be done, and that I was about to complete my first marathon. I heard two women coming up behind me, saying something "You go this, so close, now here let's get around this guy (meaning me).." They passed me with a male runner who was finishing up. I thought, "Oh hell no.." and then passed them back, along with several other runners. I pounded my chest and blew a kiss to the heavens as I crossed the finish line. My legs gave out one final time and this time I really teetered but once again caught myself and put my hands to my knees. A couple people asked me if I was ok. I was more than ok. This was, all at once, the greatest feeling I'd ever experienced and the worst feeling I'd ever experienced.

Hobbling in to the finish.

Post-Race
Someone handed me one of those plastic bag-looking things and draped a medal around my neck. I grabbed the medal and kissed it. A whirlwind of thoughts raced through my head, ranging from confusion as to how things fell apart for me to elation that I had actually finished a marathon. My parents found me and I hugged them, thanking them for being there for me as they always have (more on that in a moment). I tried to sit down but my whole body locked up so I realized that wouldn't work, so I walked around and sampled some of what was there for me: Gatorade, water, bananas, Great Harvest bread (my mom loves that place and sneaked away with a couple samples), beer, garlic pizza, and a granola bar. The Gatorade and the garlic pizza really hit the spot. The beer made me feel like I was going to pass out. I found Stan Austin and congratulated him on finishing his eleventh marathon of the year. He had paced for 3:30 - Stan can run sub-3 - but said it was a rough day for him.

I was walking around aimlessly when I heard a familiar voice say, "Well how was your first marathon?" It was Eggers, who had just notched another PR by running 2:59. Brinkley PR'd by ten minutes from last year and qualified for Boston with a 3:04. Josh Brewer outdid both of them by running 2:58. Baum ran 1:27 in the half, Jamaar 1:31 for a huge PR, and Oelz finished it in 1:38, which means I must have nearly caught him before the split. Billy Shue finished second in the marathon with a new PR of 2:38.

I found Billy, John, Clayton, Paul, and Carolyn after the race and tried to soak up the moment. This was an incredible experience and I cannot wait to do another one. My favorite parts were touring the city and playing to the crowd - every time I passed a large crowd I waved and pumped them up, receiving loud cheers in return. And this is a small race - I can only imagine what that must be like in a big marathon.

Dedication
I was brought up in a home where I wasn't allowed to play video games or even watch tv during the day, unless the weather was bad. This led to a childhood of constantly running around in the yard - pretending to be Jerry Rice or Desmond Howard or Marshall Faulk - or playing basketball in the driveway for hours on end, until I literally could no longer stand up and my mom had to berate me to come inside and join the family for dinner. I have led a life full of athletic achievements, ranging from the mundane to the pretty outstanding, and my parents have been there every step of the way. In a society where laziness and poor habits are almost encouraged, I was raised to be an athlete - and I'm now a marathoner. Thanks, Mom and Dad. I dedicate my first marathon to you.

Proudly wearing that medal, and actually managing a smile.

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.

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.

I Got Your Gel Right Here

Distance: 16 mi.
Time: 1:58:23.99 - 7:24 ppm.

I have never felt as good after a long run as I did today. This is one of the more encouraging runs I have had in all of 2011, as well.

I met Eggers, Brinkley, and Brian Baum at Old Bell at 7 a.m. sharp. I was surprised to see Oelz, who's training for the Thunder Road half, in attendance as well. I hadn't seen him since his wedding and I was excited to once again good-naturedly mock him for 8 miles or so. Baum is also training for the TR half. Eggers, Brinkley, and myself are training for the TR full for those of you who are as yet unawares.

We set off at the usual "old man crawl" for a few before easing into a consistently good pace. We wound through the Campbell Creek area, back around the course, and back to the cars, where we said goodbye to Oelz. Everyone except me took fuel and water. I hadn't even brought any but felt I didn't need it just yet. We wound through the Boyce switchbacks, where Eggers showed off his impressive trail-running prowess and I just tried not to roll an ankle or step on a snake. We were still moving.

Eggers and Baum weren't planning to go as far as Dave and I, but we decided to run back to the cars with them and get in our extra miles on the Old Bell hills. Yikes, really? Did we really just decide that? Who made this decision? Ah, well. I suppose it will be a good test for TR to get our legs tired and then run up and down some ferocious hills. Who needs the Blue Ridge relay when you have Old Bell at the end of a fast long run?

We each congratulated Baum on achieving his longest run of all time, at 15 miles, and Dave and I took off up some hills. We were working but remarkably kept the pace consistent. After running a 6:55 down the greenway for mile 14, we clocked a 7:21 and a 7:03 on the hills. I am very happy with that.

I capped off the run with a lot of Gatorade and a tour of Dave's new house, feeling more than recovered. My heel was an issue in the early going but didn't bother me after mile three.

Trials of Miles

Distance: 11.93 mi.
Time: 01:33:53 - 7:52 ppm.
Running Buddy

I met Brinkley and Brian Baum at McAlpine for this week's version of the long run. Perhaps I should start taking this stuff more seriously. I didn't get up when my alarm went off, and when I did get up I realized I was going to be late to meet them.

Brian ran at CCS but was two years behind me, in Eggers' class. We all ran into each other back at Great Harvest, where he won the baby jogger division. There were some exciting moments near the end as I came flying past him down the hill, only to see him put his stroller on two wheels and race back past me into the chute.

Our splits were all over the place for this one. We would keep a conversation going, then realize we were barely moving and pick up the pace. This continued for awhile and I began to realize I didn't have much energy once again. I don't like to make excuses, but my job really does make these morning runs difficult. If nothing else I usually have to rush dinner, or eat way earlier than normal when I work a Friday night. So, when Dave and Brian began pushing the pace through Lansdowne and back up Sardis, I got left behind. I did manage to speed up slightly at the end, and I did get the miles done, but it's frustrating to get dropped by the group.

Temp-o Time!

Distance: 9.00 mi
Time: 01:03:59 - 7:06 ppm
Running Buddy

Ah, yes...a successful tempo run. It's about damn time. I met David Brinkley at the Y at 5:50 a.m. (yes, 5:50). I got there early only to have him find me in the bathroom and yell at me to hurry up. We milled around with Paul and some of the other Dowd crew regulars before taking off. The plan was to do one mile slow, then 2 at marathon goal pace (7:10), 4 at tempo pace (6:40), and 2 more at MGP.

We went down Morehead and headed towards the Little Sugar Creek greenway in an effort to keep all the tough miles on the flat section. The first mile went by in 7:52 and then we got off a little fast (6:56). Settling down just a bit, we were now ready for the hard part. Again, we started off too quickly, coming through the first mile of the tempo section in 6:27. We worked together and just tried to keep the wheels from coming off as we took the greenway all the way to Park Road shopping center and ran through the parking lot before finally turning around.

Miles five and six had gone by in 6:36 and 6:43. We were fading. We entered Freedom Park and managed to salvage things, picking up the pace and coming through in 6:37. My troublesome left shin was really bothering me on this run, so I stopped to tie my shoes tighter, which actually seemed to help. Dave was done, choosing to trot the final two miles back to the Y at cooldown pace. I was not able to keep it at MGP but tried my best to run a respectable pace back to the Dowd. I came upon Jamaar Valentine on the sidewalk on Morehead and cruised to the end.

It felt good to successfully complete a really hard workout like this, but I am worried about my left leg....again.

Dowd Sauna

7.04 mi in 00:52:29 - 7:27 ppm

I met the group at the Dowd for some easy miles today that weren't really all that easy. We had a huge group but the conditions just keep getting tougher out there. I wanted to be able to go shorter than most of them - closer to 6 or 7 miles - so when it became clear there was no plan as to our running route, I shot up front and set the pace. I had us turn from the Booty Loop down back towards Freedom Park so I could run on the greenway and go back up Morehead to the Dowd. If anyone wanted to add extra there would be ample opportunities to do so.

Well, I set a quicker pace than I should have, and suffered a bit for it. Too fast for an easy day. There was a 7:21, a 7:16, and a 7:24 in there before I slowed down and let someone else lead. Given the weather conditions those paces surely must equate to 7-flat or better on normal days. Perhaps I should start taking the weather into consideration when calculating my pace....or better yet, just stay at the back of the pack next time.

Run For Your Life 4-Miler

Disclaimer: I did not race today. I showed up to watch my friends run, cheer for them, and take some video of the race with my Droid. The footage turned out already despite some shaky handling of the camera by me and the cloudy weather. The videos are in three parts; I gave the files to Mike Kahn to upload to the CRC youtube channel because he's the video-editing pro.

If not for the pinched nerve in my back - which is starting to feel better - I may have signed up on race day today. It was cloudy and barely 70 degrees just before gun time at 7:30 a.m. The race would start at the Dilworth RFYL and run part of the "Speed Loop," as well as a section of East Boulevard, before coming back to where it started. I slapped hands with Brinkley, Eggers, and Paul before the gun and found a cheering spot with Jamaar and Layla that was, I would guess, about 600 meters in.

RFYL 4-Miler

Someone I'd never heard of - Bert Rodriguez, from DC I'm told - smoked the field by running 5:00 pace, all the while looking like he was on vacation. Paul finished 2nd after beating rival Bob Marchinko for the first time. Anne Marie set a new PR and got an age group award. Eggers ran his best race of the year; Mitchell showed up and hung with the chase pack of Billy, Chad, Rich Harris, and Jim McKeon.

..Second Dowd Run

7.63 mi in 00:57:21 - 7:31 ppm

I made it back to the Dowd again. This time it was Paul, Caitlin, Caleb Boyd, Kevin Ballantine, Matt Jaskot, Compton, and several more. David Brinkley even showed up; he's usually there every day to lift and decided to run with us this time.

We ran part of the Booty Loop and passed Anne Marie as she was doing another pick up run - which she nailed. I should add here that things really do go better for her when she doesn't run with me. I might be faster but she's a much smarter runner.

Caitlin, always the leader, took us down the greenway and then back to the Y before going off to do more. Compton discussed the possibilities of a fall marathon and then randomly disappeared. Paul, David, and I mostly ran together and discussed various training plans as well as a bit of race strategy for the upcoming RFYL 4-miler.

A Shorter Long Run

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

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

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

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

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

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

2011 Summer Breeze 5k

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Great Harvest Bread 5K

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Race Results
Garmin details

Mile Repeats with Brinkley

Warmup: 00:16:29 for 2.0 mi
Workout: 4x1-Mile at 5k goal pace with 2-min rest
Cooldown: 00:18:03 for 2.0 mi
Goal: Three mile repeats equals just less than a 5k, so we wanted to throw in a fourth. The idea was to run at goal pace, but seeing as I haven't raced in forever, I had no idea what "goal pace" should be. Basically, I wanted to keep it as close to 6 minutes per mile as possible.
Conditions: 85 degrees and very humid.
Actual: Mile splits were 5:59, 6:20, 6:31, and 6:30.

David and I had tentative plans to meet early in the morning for this one, but neither one of us made it, so we met at McMullen Greenway in south Charlotte at 5:30 p.m. It was hot and very humid as we set off on the trail for a two-mile warmup. As stated above, I wanted to keep my mile splits as close to 6-flat as possible, but I honestly had no idea what I was capable of on this day. One always must factor in the heat when doing a workout; it no doubt slows you down a good bit.

I asked David to set the pace and I ran just off his left shoulder as we headed down the greenway. We realized we were running 5:25 pace at one point so we slowed down. Oops. I tried to settle in a groove but noticed that my breathing was becoming heavy - although, my legs felt fine. David pulled away a little bit and finished about 7 seconds ahead of me. I was right where I wanted to be - 5:59 for mile one - but knew that fast start was going to hurt me in the next few repeats.

Surely enough, I struggled on the next one. David pulled away pretty early and finished a good bit ahead of me on this one. After I was done, I gave him a head start so we would have equal rest. I would go on to do this for the last one, as well. Looking back, I probably would have been better off just taking shorter rest and trying to stay with him. We both withered in the heat in the last two splits, but I couldn't help but notice I had a strong kick on the last one. I need to remember how to push myself, I guess.

All in all, I wouldn't call this workout a total failure, but I clearly have a long way to go. Also, I may have to get used to waking up at 5:30 a.m. and getting this crap out of the way early. My first three repeats equaled 18:50, which is probably about a 19:30 5k. So, I'm not in bad shape. Take away the late-afternoon humidity and add about 30 race competitors and I think we lower that time significantly. Alas, back to the drawing board.

Stats and Map for the workout portion.

Long Run with Brinkley

 Time: 0:55:36/7:38 per mile
Distance: 7.20 miles

I made plans to meet up with Dave sometime before 9a.m. to do part of his long run with him. I wanted to do 7-8 and he wanted to do 10, so he sent me a text when he got to McAlpine to let me know he was starting the first two. I immediately headed to the park and got there right as he was finishing his first two miles.

Now, being that I've been out for awhile, I have developed an awful habit of staying out late on Friday nights, and last night was no exception. I could barely keep my eyes open at the beginning of this run, and my stomach felt enormous. I felt like I was carrying two Jasons around the trails for most of this run. I just told myself to let the pain be a reminder that I need to get back in the groove, which means no more late Friday nights!

Dave and I went up the greenway and decided to run the course backwards. I continued to feel awful and decided I didn't want to add any extra to the end of the run. However, on the last two miles back to the car I found my stride opening up and we picked up the pace. I ran my last full mile in 7:03 then called it quits as Dave took off down Old Bell to run one more mile.

So there ya have it, I ended up feeling great at the end of an otherwise awful run. As I said, I just need to get back in the groove. From now on Saturday morning means we get to do a long run!

Stats and Map