See Red Run

"Soft" 8 Mile Progression Tempo

2012-02-07T08:19:00.000-05:00

Goal:
8 Miles Progression without looking at Splits

Actual:
2-ish warmup
8 miles in 51:14 (6:24 ave) with splits of 653, 614, 621, 628 (u-turn), 624, 618, 619, 617
2-ish cool down

In an attempt to adjust to doing early morning workouts to prepare for the new role that I've accepted at Bank of America, I grudgingly pulled myself out of bed at 5:15AM to prepare for this workout. I was out the door by 5:30 to meet Dalena, Spada, and Eric on the greenway near Freedom Park. Somehow, I convinced Dalena to join us in the fun and it was a welcomed addition because I realized that this was the first time I've ever actually worked out with her and I liked her positive spirit. Regardless, after an uneventful warmup, we started our tempo...very slow. After a couple of minutes of leading, Spada annoyingly told me to pick up the pace. That's probably why my fastest split was seen during mile 2...because I was scared of Spada.

The last six miles of the tempo went by just as you would except - at least as normal as any tempo can go when it's still dark out on the streets of Charlotte. We ran back and forth on the greenway between East Blvd and Brandywine twice. I didn't feel too labored in the first half, but the second half I did, embarrassingly enough...At least labored enough where I had no desire to expend any precious energy trying to keep the conversation going.

I finished the workout on my own as I continued on the path towards my house while Spada and Eric turned around to head back to Freedom. I was glad I had the last half mile of the tempo to finish on my own so that I could be left with my own thoughts. Coming back after a marathon is tough. It's mentally grueling - even more so than the training leading up to a marathon. I've been spending the last couple of weeks really trying to keep my spirits up, but it's been really tough for me to do that. I've had this nagging discomfort of weakness in my left hip flexor, and I was freaking out just a little bit that I might have an injury coming on. Even my right knee started to hurt on Tuesday, and I had quick flashbacks to January 2011 when my left knee hurt due to IT Band issues. Fortunately, it's been a couple of days since then, and all of that has gone away. My body must still be in the process of healing itself from the unforgiving concrete in Houston, and I just need to be patient and let it do just that. And, of course, I need to keep doing all of my prescribed exercises to correct my weakness. See you in the gym doing good girl/bad girl folks.

Week in Review

2012-02-05T17:25:00.001-05:00

65 Miles
2 Workouts
13 mile long run
2 Doubles
2 Lifting Sessions
4 Ab Circuits

I realized this week how much more time I have when running 65 Miles a week. Don't get me wrong, running 65 miles is an amazing accomplishment for any runner, fast or slow, but of course it's less of a time commitment than 90 miles. In fact, since I got in two doubles this week, I only had to run 4 miles on Saturday, which left me plenty of time to bake two different types of cupcakes: chocolate PB and also hostess cupcakes.

In the early part of the week, I spent every minute, that I wasn't at work or on a run, writing the February Charlotte Runner newsletter. For those of you who may take the newsletter for granted, please don't. I dedicated at least 30 hours over the past two weeks to transfer the newsletter onto a new software, Apple iPages. This massive reconstruction meant I had to insert new links, create new layouts, and write more columns. I also realized that the newsletter would be much more interesting if we recruited some of Charlotte's best writers to be guest columnists. Between acting as a graphic designer and Editor in Chief, my night schedule was filled through Friday. Fortunately, as much as I may have just complained, I truly am passionate about this kind of stuff and am excited about the new format. (Note: If you aren't happy with the newsletter, then suck it up. No, just kidding...please send me some feedback).

When I wasn't writing the newsletter and baking cupcakes, I mustered a couple of low key workouts. I did a 5 mile tempo, purely on effort, on Tuesday and completed 12x1 minute on Friday. After the Friday workout, I didn't stretch as much as I should have prior to sitting at a desk for the next four hours and I definitely paid for it later. I had trouble walking around and limped painfully through the parking garage to Trader Joe's. Fortunately, Dr. Greenapple told me not to fret and that it was probably just some after effects of the numerous exercises I completed on Thursday evening. As much as I'd like to cheat, I've been sticking to the plan of lifting and doing abs regularly. I've got a major weakness in my left hip/glute area and to get to that next level, I need to get it under control. Pre-hab is the key for the next four years.

First Workout Back

2012-01-31T20:10:00.002-05:00

Goal:
Light 5 Mile Progression Tempo on Feel

Actual:
2.5 miles warmup
5 mile Progression in 635, 630, 625, 605, 558 (6:18 ave)
2.2 miles cool down for 9.72 total in 1:09:02

The legs are finally starting to feel normal again, so I felt ambitious enough to actually start this light workout back today. Granted, my times above were definitely not stellar, but I achieved all of the goals of the workout...which were really just to run on feel and to get that fire back into the legs.

In the warm January temperature of 62 degrees, I set foot out my door and straight onto the Sugar Creek Greenway. Not much later, I unexpectedly ran into Meghan Fillnow and we were able to enjoy a mile of conversation before she peeled off for the Dowd. I continued to make my way to meet Eric halfway in Freedom Park. We stopped to stretch and take a bio break before embarking on what could very well have been a disastrous workout. Alas, it wasn't disastrous; instead, the workout was quite lovely.

My legs felt surprisingly fresh from the marathon followed by two weeks of minimal mileage. Eric and I chatted away, letting our bodies do the work effortlessly. Conversation was easy and breathing wasn't an issue. In fact, our conversation only slowed once we hit the fifth mile, which makes sense considering we had finally dipped under a 6:00/min pace per mile. Eric pulled away from me slightly in the final 300 meters, but I held my pace, perfectly content to maintain my ease of effort. After all, it's just the first workout back.

With this workout complete, my motivation, held strong by the culmination of the Trials and my eagerness to run the Philly Marathon with three of my closest Charlotte friends, is higher than ever! The Philly Marathon is very far away, and I have a lot of goals to accomplish in between now and then, but it's definitely still something to get fired up about.

Up next: minuters on Friday!

Week in Review

2012-01-29T14:21:00.003-05:00

44 Miles
2 Lifting Sessions
5 Ab Sessions
0 Doubles
0 Days Off
0 Workouts

Each run this week was better than the run the day before. My body felt rather confused and angry at me for making it run when every single muscle and tissue seemed to scream at me to turn back around and stop running. After 20 minutes, my runs immediately feel much better and more bearable. By the end of this week, I was even enjoying the art of running again as I could tell my muscles were beginning to finally fire fairly normally. I hit the one-hour mark on both Saturday and Sunday and fought the urge to add on more miles since the weather has been sunny and in the 60s. Fortunately, I know that I can wait to put the longer runs on my legs until next week.

Volunteering at Saturday's Inaugural CRC Winter Flight 8k early in the morning didn't prevent me from logging some fun miles with Heidi Hullinger, a former Duke star who is in residency for Spinal surgery stuff in New York, but applying for Fellowships in Charlotte. The CRC race went off without a hitch that I can think of and the Club even made some money from the small race! Hopefully we can turn this race into a tradition that people continue to participate in. I was also really impressed with all the CRC members who dedicated their time to volunteering for the event, even if it was 30 degrees and dark when they arrived. The true camaraderie of the Club was showcased on Saturday at McAlpine, and I was thrilled to be a part of it.

As part of the post marathon symptoms, I've noticed a weakness in my left side of my hip flexor and glute. I've been focusing on a consistent lifting and ab regime, but I knew that something else was missing. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to have Dr. Greenapple of Greenapple Sports & Wellness take a look at my marathon-wrecked body on Friday. Everybody in Charlotte knows who Greenapple is because he works on many high school athletes and is very involved with the running and triathlon communities. We spent the first ten minutes getting to know each other before he took me into an assessment room to test the strength (or lack thereof) in various parts of my body. He found that my left gluteus medeus is very weak and that my psoas is tight. We went over some light exercises for me to add to my lifting program (donkey kicks, bridge, bridge with marches, clam shells until I can't do them anymore, single leg squats on a stool, etc). To help increase the flexibility of my psoas and to focus on other body corrections, Greenaple prescribed ART, mobilizations and possible acupuncture for future sessions. I'm excited to work with Greenapple and know that performing these corrective, strengthening exercises will be the key to helping me achieve my goals in 2012.

Coming up next week, I will continue to run purely on feel and, if I feel up for it, attempt two low-key workouts: minuters and a progression tempo with no goal pace target. I don't want to push my body too far too fast, so I'm taking things slowly so that I can be fully ready to set new PRs later this year.

Oh, and for your own enjoyment, I included a photo of my recently healed blisters! You can notice the dead pieces of skin that I cut off and where the new skin has formed under my big toe and also on my third toe. Yum!!!

Week in Review

2012-01-22T13:33:00.002-05:00

7 Miles
1 Weight Lifting Session

I spent more time this week running than I probably should have. That is correct. I'm saying I shouldn't have run 7 miles this past week, but I did. After five whole days off from running combined with five whole days of eating terribly delicious, unhealthy meals, my body started to feel quite gross. If you don't believe me about eating unhealthy, here's a meal that I had for lunch on Thursday: grilled mozzarella sandwich, individual bag of potato chips, big cookie, two brownies, and three mint chocolates. I should note that I did not pay for a single part of this meal since I was at an offsite for Bank of America, which was the main contributor to the inordinate amount of food that I consumed.

Needless to say, that insatiable desire to get out the door was undeniable and my blisters had finally healed, so I accepted Carolyn's request for a run on Friday. As soon as I got out the door, my entire body immediately regretted the decision to run. I didn't turn around though because I wanted to run with Carolyn and to socialize with her. Mind over matter, right? I desperately gasped for pocketed breaths between words and was very aware of the fact that she was four-stepping me and that I had no real power, intention, let alone ability, to catch back up and match her stride.

After that fail of a run, I determined that for all future marathons, under no circumstances shall I run a step for an entire week. Now that I've run two marathons, I've gained more wisdom (albeit a little), but I'm smart enough to make decisions based on how my body felt after each marathon. Indeed, after Twin Cities, the same pre-marathon runner in me did not resurface until almost three months after the race, meaning that I felt sluggish for the entirety of those three months. I'm hoping I can find that bounce back in my legs a little quicker than that since I'm already thinking about what's in store for 2012.

I have had time to think about what's next for me during this year of the Dragon, but the fall is still uncertain. For the Spring, I will incorporate a consistency into my routine that has been non-existent in the past. Some actions that will be incorporated regularly are:

Lifting every Monday and Thursday. Garrett made me a lifting plan and showed both David Willis and I how to perform all of the exercises. I'm already on track.
Performing an Ab Circuit all days except Sunday: Stir the Pot, Mountain Climber, Side Star Plank, Dead Bug, Clam shells will all be included.
Working out always on Tuesdays, Friday, and Sundays.
Rolling every, freaking day. This one is annoying, but important.

This list is kind of boring, but these small things today are going to help me achieve my goals tomorrow. For the Spring, I will focus on running as many local road races possible (without sacrificing the quality or quantity of my workouts) to win prize money. So far, the Tobacco Road Half Marathon and Cherry Blossom Ten Miler are on the list. I desperately need to lower my half marathon PR, so it's likely that I'll travel to the USA Half Marathon Champs in Duluth, MN in June. The fall is not set in stone yet, but Meagan, Aaron and I are toying with the idea of a Fall Marathon, with the intent to work together to run a sub-2:40. It may be a little ridiculous that I am already thinking of how and where to PR in a marathon again, but the 2012 Olympic Trials Marathon is now over, and it's time to transfer that focus and dedication to another pursuit of excellence.

2012 Olympic Trials Marathon: The Race

2012-01-16T19:03:00.002-05:00

Goal:
Give it All I've Got
Placer greater than 72nd
2:41:53 or faster

Actual:
Gave it All I Had
66th Place in 2:44:04 (guessing the half split around 1:20:33, 2nd half 1:23:27)
Results here

Thirty-six hours after the race of a lifetime, I can confidently tell you that I gave my best effort. Even if my best effort on Saturday was not my personal record or the highest place, it was the best I could bring out of myself, my body, my mind that day. I am proud of my journey to the Olympic Trials. I am proud to have toed the line without any injuries. I am proud for finishing a race where almost a fifth of the field dropped out - a testament to the grueling nature of the marathon.

Race morning dawned perfectly calm and clear, with temperatures in the high 40s, and predicted to reach the mid-to-upper 50s by the end of the race. My sister Vanessa and I woke up around 5:15am to get ready for the morning's events; while she got all dolled up for the cheering party, I performed my pre-race feeding rituals of Trader Joe's oatmeal and a PB Bonk Breaker. I recognized that temperatures in the upper 50s would feel way too hot to me, so I alternated drinking between water, Gatorade and Nuun to ensure I would be hydrated enough to survive 26.2 miles with the sun beating down on my pale skin.

By 630AM, Jordan, Meagan, and Garrett had arrived in the room to begin our trek over to the GRB Convention Center, where the athletes would have access to bathrooms and indoor warm up facilities. Before heading out, I put Meagan's number on her chest and back and, to be honest, I was quite honored that she chose me to pin the bib on her instead of Jordan. Perhaps it's a girl thing, or maybe it further cemented our commitment to work together during the race. After we had used the hotel bathroom one last time, I said my farewell to Vanessa, grabbed my sunscreen, and headed out the door with the crew.

Unlike the Army Ten Miler, where Meagan and I barely had enough time to gulp down some water, there was plenty of time to situate ourselves in a hall and to take multiple bathroom breaks in the Convention Center. Meagan and I just sat together with a calm confidence, while I randomly voiced our game plan out loud. Ben and Megan Hovis stopped by before Megan went off for a warm up. Mark Hadley spotted us as well and came by every now and then to provide support.

In the meantime, Garrett and Jordan came to us intermittently to check in and to see if we needed anything from them. I can only imagine what they were doing when they weren't with us. I'm assuming that Jordan was talking to people he knew or just tweeting on his iPhone while Garrett was scoping out the food options in case he needed a second breakfast to tide him over through 140 minutes of cheering. The guys disappeared to give us the space they knew we needed to perform our typical mental preparations in the final hour before the race. After seeing so many friends, it was clear to me that this Charlotte crew had so many people here that believed in us and our goals.

The hour seemed to go by slowly, and I utilized the hour to envision the race plan and to repeat to myself words of affirmation about the training I've put in and the workouts I've completed to prepare me for this race. Emotionally and mentally, I knew that I was ready to run this race.

By 7:40, the women were gathered near the exit of our warm up room. It was time to head down to the holding area on the street and to say goodbye to our Athlete Support people / significant others. Meagan, Megan, and Allison Macsas (Meagan's roommate from the 2011 Houston Marathon who had the same goal as us) grouped together to ensure that we didn't lose each other on the way.

The bubble of excitement burst into a nervous frenzy just as doors to the Convention Center opened, exposing the men in the midst of their final preparations for their race. It felt as though at that very moment, time began moving very, very fast and all the women reacted with the same panicked motions to prepare - dropping our bags haphazardly on the sidewalk, frantically looking for water, rushing to the port-a-cans (that's what they call them in Texas). Within a minute, however, the excitement died down as everyone realized we had another fifteen minutes to jog around and get that calm back again. During this time, our crew split apart as each performed our own unique drills and strides. I jogged a couple of laps, re-tied my shoelaces four times, and performed my final drills and strides before stripping down.

I'm the girl in the middle of the picture in the blue jacket

The next five minutes were a blur as we were herded to the start corral. All I know is that when they let us loose, I did a stride but seemed to be the only other person that decided to take a fast stride with the Olympic hopefuls. Meagan and I situated ourselves near the right side of the course and waited for the command. The gun sounded at an unknown time, signaling the beginning of what I hoped would be a memorable journey through the streets of downtown Houston with 200 women who were just as good as me or better. In case you don't know - the course started with a 2.2 mile loop downtown, then featured three identical 8-mile loops that incorporated the 2.2 downtown loop.

If you look closely on the left, you'll find Meagan and I

I settled into a comfortable pace with Meagan and Allison right beside me. There were probably 150 women surrounding us and the pace felt like it was crawling. Fortunately for us, the lead pack had gone out at a snail's pace, which forced the 2:35-2:40 runners to go out right on pace. Somehow Meagan, Allison and I managed to stick together as we navigated our way through the sea of runners in the first downtown loop. Not only was this loop of the race packed with runners, but the streets were cluttered with friends, family, and super running fans who were cheering their hearts out for all of us. It would be an understatement to say it was crazy; it was a blur! The crowd was electric, but somehow I managed to hear my own cheering squad - Mom, Dad, Vanessa, Ben, Rebecca, Holda, Jamie Dodge. What an incredible way to start a marathon.

My Garmin was completely inaccurate during the downtown segments, and it claimed that our current pace was 5:45 for the first mile, which was entirely false. Unfortunately, there was a clock positioned before the mile marker, so there was a brief panic as everyone thought we had shot out in 5:15 pace. We came through the mile in 6:19, and my Garmin was horribly off so I decided to ignore it since it was presenting an inaccurate measure of my performance after only 6 minutes into the race.

The first 10 miles of the race went by surprisingly quickly as Meagan, Allison and I found a small pack to run with once we exited the downtown fan frenzy. At first, Meagan locked in with a girl from the BAA - Brett Ely - and took us through the 5th mile in 601. In the middle of that mile, I hung back a little because I was worried about hitting too quick of a pace too early on. After we passed the split, Meagan said almost sheepishly, "that was a little too quick" and fell back into step with me. After that, we locked in at a comfortable clip of 6:07.

leading the pack

During this segment, Meagan and I probably shouldn't have lead as much as we did. Meagan and I did a lot of the work for the group during that first loop as we ran stride for stride alongside each other. Every now and then we exchanged words of encouragement for the group. Fans during the outer loop told us that our pack was strong. Looking at the pictures, we were strong. All of us look so relaxed and comfortable at the pace. Those first 10 miles passed almost effortlessly as I had little thinking to do and just ran based on what my body (and the pack) was telling me to do. During the outer section, Jordan, Holda, Shane, Jill, Garrett and Matt had scattered throughout the park to cheer us on, which helped tremendously.

Effortless Running While Chewing Gum

As expected, the race thinned out quite a bit once we began the second loop (miles 10-18). We caught some people during this segment, and they either attached themselves to us or faded slowly back to a different pack. At this point, our group included about 6-8 people, with either Allison, Meagan or myself leading. Finally, a girl told Meagan and I to step back and let her do the work. While I appreciated her teamwork, we went through in one of slowest splits of the day - 6:21 - and as soon as we saw that split, the trio burst ahead, with Allison taking the lead to get the pace back on track.

Side View

At mile 14 during the race, my body began to feel the first signs of fatigue and pain. Blisters on my feet were throbbing and parts of my foot felt numb from the concrete. Every single physical weakness I've ever had awakened out of hibernation and clawed at my body. My achilles, IT Band, hip flexors all were on fire. Suddenly I felt like a mechanical engine that was beginning to rust. I needed oil to keep my gears going, but that wasn't an option. Simply put, the presence of Meagan and Allison was invaluable during miles 15-18. While my body was faltering, my mind contemplated the possibilities. I had two options: (1) Drop off the pace at mile 15 and struggle for 11+ miles alone or (2) fight my way to mile 18 with Meagan and company and see what I can do for the final 8 miles. Rather than give in to my deteriorating body too quickly, I chose option (2). The discomfort was made easier knowing that I had a pack of women surrounding me. During these miles, I would drop off the pack slightly, but then find the resolve to pick it back up to tuck back in right behind Meagan. Meagan checked back twice to see where I was going, and those checks gave me the strength to push forward again. In the picture below, I'm struggling to stay tucked in with this pack, but I made it to 18 and then began to fade slowly.

My final strides with the pack of Meagan and Allison

After 18.2, the pack slowly began to pull away from me, and I struggled to ignore my blisters and aching body. I was alone for the next 4 miles, and the strength of the pack was evident in my slipping times; all alone, I didn't have nearly as much motivation to keep my pace strong. As I doubted my own physical ability to finish the race, my legs slowed. 18 - 6:09, 19 - 6:16, 20 - 6:24, 21 - 6:29, 22 - 6:43. I was completely and totally alone, and it was all I could do within my own willpower to keep going. My body was shutting down and my mind was fighting so hard to keep it going.

During these miles, I realized the true meaning of hitting the wall. Ironically enough, I never once thought of why I was feeling that way. I didn't question my training leading up to the race, or the fact that I had been sick, or that I had missed two weeks of higher mileage due to low iron. I just accepted it as my reality right then and there. I just thought about what I needed to do to finish, not about what was causing this terrible physical weakness. During mile 23, I decided walking through a water stop was what I needed to do in order to finish.

I'll tell you right now - the Gallowalk method is extremely successful. Jeff Galloway should receive a Nobel Prize for this ingenious invention because it gave me just the rest I needed to get back on track. When I walked for 20 meters, the pressure from my blisters disappeared, and I began to run again and the pain stayed away for the next mile, which I was able to bring back down to 6:28. For the final water stop - at mile 24.6 - I walked through again, but apparently I had already mastered the Walk/Run method, because my split for this mile (6:42) was considerably faster than the other mile I had walked (6:55). I should also note that I planned my walks at the perfect moments, which were when the crowds were thin and, therefore, less intimidating. I didn't want to walk when I was in downtown Houston for fear of seeing someone I knew. Fortunately, the water stop volunteers clapped and told me that I could do it. And I did!

Somehow only one girl had managed to pass me during my walk, but I passed her right back once I started running again. By the completion of mile 25, I only had 1.2 more miles, so I pressed on, in hopes of looking somewhat fast for the finish. As we rounded a turn, my blisters probably burst puss and blood into my sock, but I ignored it because someone just shouted to another girl that she was in 72nd place. I need to place higher than 70th, so I got my rear in gear. There were 5 girls ahead of me, and they were fading fast. I forced my blisters to cooperate, and passed all 5 of them, and then some more with a split of 6:16 for my final mile. The crowd in the final 400 meters was deafening, and I made my last turn toward the finish line with a grimace on my face. I decided I might as well make it look like I'm just fine and so happy to be finishing my very first Olympic Trials Marathon, so I smiled in the final straightaway.

I crossed through the line, and Meagan was waiting for me. She waited three whole minutes to see me finish (she finished in an amazing 49th place in 2:41:04), and I couldn't cry sentimental tears of gratitude because I didn't have enough energy to muster them. I walked just enough to not break 2:44, but I ran just enough to finish well under the Trials qualifying time.

Meagan giving me a high five after the race

Meagan and I walked through the crowd of supporters, where I guzzled a bottle of water thoughtlessly and mumbled sweet nothings to Meagan that she probably missed. I went from feeling relieved and alive to immediately feeling weak and numb. I was conscious enough to register that Garrett's parents should be in the crowd, waiting for me, to give me a hug. I was seeking them out, searching the crowd. Nothing. Instead, Meagan's parents hopped out of the crowd and escorted her and I to the second floor. In the two escalator rides, my energy levels faded fast.

After Meagan's parents were asked to leave because they didn't have a credential, I started sputtering and Meagan started leading. She held onto me and asked volunteers to get medical. Medical was all the way back down stairs, so she got me gatorade instead, which seemed to do the trick. Megan and Ben came up and informed me that she unfortunately had to drop out due to stomach cramps. I was proud of her for gutting it out and putting herself out there.

Soon, Garrett came up to the elite area and I didn't realize how empty my tank was until he informed me that apparently his mom spoke to me right after the race. She even put her hands on my shoulders and looked me in the eyes and talked to me, face to face. That interaction never registered in my brain because I still don't have a recollection of ever seeing her. After that interaction, she called Garrett immediately and told him to get to me as soon as reasonably possible. I blacked out? Not sure. I was out of it.

Afterwards was a blur as I waited in line for the massage and Garrett held me up. I was very appreciative of his large, muscular frame after the race because I felt really safe and secure. I knew that if I passed out, he would make sure that my skull didn't hit the floor by catching me in his arms. In my dazed state, he already wanted to analyze my race and hear my perspective on why I wasn't able maintain a pace with Meagan or why I had to resort to walking. Even right now, I am not entirely certain if there is a reason.

On Saturday, I learned how to hurt. I learned how to persevere through pain and weakness. I learned how to finish with heart. Most importantly, I learned how to love even more - my parents, my soon-to-be future in-laws, my coaches (past and present), my running partners in Charlotte, my fellow Demon Deacons, and all those people who have believed in me over the past 12 months and whose support has helped me realize this dream. I did it - but with the help of so many countless others along the way and for that I am eternally grateful and humbled.

Of course, the perfectionist in me wishes that I had stayed with Meagan so that I could have at least had to option to hold hands with her through the finish line. I've got a lot more marathons in my future, which are just opportunities for me to continue to perfect my marathon running skills to better prepare me for 2016. Two days later, it seems surreal that it's over now, but I'm already looking ahead for 2016 and thinking about what I need to do to place in the top 30. I'm excited to plan a marathon - perhaps with Meagan - with the goal of breaking 2:40 in the months or years to come. Regardless, I'm proud to have had this opportunity to race with some of the best marathoners in the country and to be part of a historic event. Now, it's time to take some time off from doing anything remotely active.

Many thanks to my Official Fan Club for making the trip!!

And that is my tale of pain, glory, and sweat. There is a lot to be happy about and I forever cherish this memory. I am an Olympic Trials Finisher!

Mile	Split	Total Time	Average
1	0:06:19	0:06:19	0:06:19
2	0:06:00	0:12:19	0:06:09
3	0:06:05	0:18:24	0:06:08
4	0:06:04	0:24:28	0:06:07
5	0:06:01	0:30:29	0:06:06
6	0:06:12	0:36:41	0:06:07
7	0:06:11	0:42:52	0:06:07
8	0:06:01	0:48:53	0:06:07
9	0:06:08	0:55:01	0:06:07
10	0:06:07	1:01:08	0:06:07
11	0:06:07	1:07:15	0:06:07
12	0:06:08	1:13:23	0:06:07
13	0:06:08	1:19:31	0:06:07
14	0:06:21	1:25:52	0:06:08
15	0:06:14	1:32:06	0:06:08
16	0:06:05	1:38:11	0:06:08
17	0:06:12	1:44:23	0:06:08
18	0:06:09	1:50:32	0:06:08
19	0:06:16	1:56:48	0:06:09
20	0:06:24	2:03:12	0:06:10
21	0:06:29	2:09:41	0:06:11
22	0:06:43	2:16:24	0:06:12
23	0:06:55	2:23:19	0:06:14
24	0:06:28	2:29:47	0:06:14
25	0:06:42	2:36:29	0:06:16
26	0:06:16	2:42:45	0:06:16
26.2	0:01:15	2:44:00	0:06:16
	2:44:00	0:06:16

2012 Olympic Trials Marathon: Friday

2012-01-13T20:43:00.007-05:00

35 Minutes of Running for 4.4-ish miles
Strides + Drills

If you haven't noticed, there's been a common theme for each of these days leading up to the Trials...as each day passes, the flurry of activity increases dramatically. On Friday, there was not much down time as there was a lot of information that the Houston Marathon Committee had to share with us and there was a lot of food to be consumed. As I walked to the lobby to meet Jordan and Meagan for a run, there was a certain buzz of excitement that you could feel in the air. Lots of runners were also making their way onto the streets in their warmup gear, to simulate the start of the race at 8 or 8:15AM.

We ran through the first mile of the course before jumping on the greenway in the park outside of the city. My legs felt great, and I could tell that my nasal congestion had improved from yesterday. The head still felt heavy, but I figured it wouldn't affect me too much in the race tomorrow. Meagan and Jordan went on to run a bit further, so I turned around early and ran into Esther Erb and Alissa McKaig from Zap Fitness. I really like Esther and enjoyed the time running with her. She sang the national anthem before the race on Saturday!  The three of the Charlotte women met in the Massage Room in the late morning to get our final rub down before the big day. It's the little things that count, and these massages were the best 20 minutes of rubbing that I've ever had!

The rest of the day was spent trying to eat the right portions of food, the right amount of water, and getting the right amount of time off of my feet. I also wanted to spend some time with my support crew, so I opted out of the free lunch to dine with my crew at Whole Foods. My brother Ben surprised me and flew in to watch at the Trials, so when I went to my parents room to leave, he jumped out of the bathroom. I was very happy he came to watch since we didn't see each other over Christmas. It was also nice to enjoy lunch with the people who spent time and money to make this trip to support me. In fact, I felt bad because the days' events didn't allow for much time with family and friends, so I tried my best to be with my supporters as much as possible.

In the afternoon, all 300 of the runners, plus their athlete support person, crowded into a conference room of the George R. Brown Convention Center to attend the Elite Technical Meeting. A lot of information was shared during this meeting, but fortunately the Houston Marathon Committee did a lot of work (and explaining) to ensure that everything was manageable.

A woman presented to us with a PowerPoint Deck related to the pre-race information (be at the warmup area no later than 7AM), the water bottle stops (don't grab two water bottles, but you can grab one water bottle and share it with runners), the holding area logistics (women are to start as soon as the last man runs through the start line), the u-turn (there is cattle fencing there, so don't cut yourself), and the bag check (you get two bags, make sure to put your bag check number on the bag). The questions asked were comical - "How many ounces of water are in the cups?" "Do you have extra numbers so if I want to shed clothing, I can?"

During the presentation, everything seemed so real, especially the feeling of nervous excitement that just had amplified. Fortunately, Meagan and Megan were sitting right beside me, and I knew they were probably sharing the same feeling as me. After the hour of information overload, all of the runners crammed to the back of the room to pick up our bibs and chips. It definitely was not a very organized method of pick up since the lines were haphazardly formed, zig-zagging past chairs that were in the way, and cutting into the lines for a person with a different last name. Either way, we were all able to get our bibs eventually.   

After some slight down time with my sister Vanessa, I explored the Trials Town on the lawn outside of the Hilton with Matt and Garrett. There was an Opening Ceremonies for the Olympic Trials, which I naturally avoided because I wanted to eat dinner at 530PM. Any misgivings about not attending the Opening Ceremony were immediately dissolved when I walked into the Elite Dining Tent and saw Kara and Shalane eating early. Further affirming my decision not to attend was the fact that at 6PM, all of the athletes who had attended the Ceremony all arrived in the Dining Tent at the same time and had to wait almost 30 minutes in line for food. Jordan, Meagan, Garrett and I all ate while they stood waiting.

After dinner, Vanessa braided Megan's hair and then mine. Ben chatted with Garrett in the room while Garrett rolled out his IT and Quads with the Trigger Point Performance Quadroller. It was relaxing to get the hair braided, ready to shine tomorrow morning.

The Sign before the Elite Dining Tent

Where we Buy our Gear

Matt Jaskot and I

Dream Big, right?

2012 Olympic Trials Marathon: Thursday

2012-01-12T20:16:00.009-05:00

39 Minutes of Running for 5-ish Miles

5 Strides

Compared to Wednesday, Thursday was much livelier and action packed because over 300 elite marathoners finally arrived in Houston to participate in the pre-race festivities. During an early morning breakfast, the Hospitality Suite was buzzing with all sorts of energy, and runners continued to come in, eager to eat. Obviously, I had been impressed with the Houston Marathon Committee from the treatment I received yesterday, but today showed just how much hard work and dedication these people committed to make this event one to remember for the athletes. The food was always stocked full and there was always enough water and gatorade to feed a small army.

Since my entourage of support had yet to arrive and since Megan and Meagan were both on later flights, I had the morning to myself. To pass the time, I settled myself at the hotel room desk, creating a makeshift workstation to finalize the decorations on my water bottles for the big race. I utilized the CRC stickers, hello kitty valentine stickers, and silver wands with stars on the end. As you can see, the final result came out much more "girly" than I actually am, but at least I won't confuse my bottle with the other 206 out there on the course.

By 10am, it was time for my massage and I was lucky enough to land the same guy who massaged me last year, Ed. He massaged my body for 45 minutes and it was quite possibly the best 45 minute massage I've ever gotten. I encouraged him to open his own practice so that he could solely work on athletes, which is where his true passion lies. I think that if I come back next year, he will have done so!

By eleven, my parents and high school coach Holda had completed their all night, fourteen hour drive from Carbondale, Illinois to the Hilton Americas Houston. I rushed them into dressing for a run with Rebecca and I, and we were out the door by 11:45am to run a couple of laps around Minute Maid Park and then for the first 2.2 miles of the course. Since Sunday, I'd been dealing with a sore throat and a nasty cold, but the run made me feel much better than when I had woken up, where my head just felt heavy and congested. The snot rockets I shot out of my nose during the run helped clear my system slightly, but my head was still heavy.

After my run, I didn't shower. Instead, I went to lunch, ran into Ruth at the very end, but had to leave her much too soon to meet Rebecca in the official merchandise tent. Rebecca and Corbett joined me while I bought a sweet Nike jacket and shirt with the Trials logo on it. Completely worth the $120 spent because I can show my grandkids in thirty years, and they will think I am much cooler than I actually am.

Mom and I in the hotel room, with the view of the Finish Line

Afterwards, since my parents and Holda were napping to gain some of the hours of sleep back that they had lost, the Thomasons and I plopped ourselves in the lobby to catch up...and to people watch / try not to stare at running celebrities like Kara, Desi, and Shalane. We admired their tiny, muscled legs and I debated whether or not my body could ever look that fit, and decided that it was unlikely, but was perfectly content with my conclusion. I'm here, after all. I may not be as fast as the stars, but I earned a spot to participate in Houston too and, as I realized this sitting in the lobby with Rebecca, an immense feeling of pride overcame me. Pride not only for myself, but for all the other men and women who put in the hard work and dedication to be here this weekend. Obviously, the majority of the people here are on a different level of elite than I am, but no matter where I finish tomorrow, it puts me on a list of the top US Marathoners for 2012.

By later afternoon, Meagan and Jordan still hadn't arrived, so Megan, Ben, Garrett, Mark Hadley and I all made our way over to the Elite Dining Tent to get some grub. After parting ways with Rebecca, Athletes were only allowed to bring one guest to dinner, so my entourage of my family, Garrett's family and Holda had to dine without me.

The elite dining tent was a runners dream. There was a salad bar, followed by fifteen trays of heated food varying from quinoa, brown rice, white rice, steamed vegetables, black beans, whole wheat pasta, marinara sauce, meat sauce, and then your standard selection of meats. Once you moved past the heated food, you found an assortment of rolls, along with Udi's brand of gluten free breads. Then there was a cookie stand, along with all bottled drinks except for alcohol (they are saving that for Saturday night).

Garrett and I at dinner

Megan and Ben at Dinner

The Charlotte crew of Megan, Ben, Mark, Garrett and I enjoyed conversation ranging from standard runner gossip to the latest updates in the CRC. I even waited around extra long to ensure that Meagan and Jordan arrived in time for food. If they hadn't, I was planning on filling up two plates with food to deliver to them. Fortunately for them, they arrived in the nick of time.

After dinner, Garrett massaged Meagan's sore foot on my hotel bed before calling it a night. We discussed our race strategy as we waited for Jordan to return from his run in the Mexican Barrio. All in all, Meagan and I had to same race plan. I figured if we didn't, then one of us would have compromised and met in the middle anyways. Meagan even stated that no matter what, the plan should be for us to stick together through at least 18, and after that, it's every women for herself.

All in all, it was definitely a successful day, full of positive energy and countless reunions with other phenomenal runners. I've already seen so many women that I met along the way, and it was so inspiring to see them here, with the exact same excitement gleaming in their eyes as my own. I cannot express how grateful I was to have two close friends here to share the entire experience with because it makes it that much less intimidating and that much more exciting to share some of the same memories.

2012 Olympic Trials: Wednesday

2012-01-11T19:13:00.008-05:00

I hope to post something every night about my detailed experiences on each day leading up to the Big Race. This is mainly for me to document every little detail so I can remember it forever, but I want to share with my Blog audience too since you all have been so supportive.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Last night I suppose my dreams, not the ones you remember but the millions that vanish into oblivion like flies, are what kept me from fully falling asleep. I was in that semi-awake, semi-asleep mode where I was bordering just enough consciousness to feel like total crap on Wednesday morning at 6am when my alarm went off for my flight. Fortunately, I was able to push all negative thoughts aside once I realized that I was officially on my way to Houston!

Matt picked me up and dropped me off at the airport, and I made my way through the security line with a pat down and two searched bags - they didn't like the muscle trac massager that Melissa Bell gave me as a good luck gift nor the clementines. Fortunately they let me keep both.

After a oatmeal breakfast courtesy of Starbucks, I was boarding my US Airways flight to Houston. On the plane, I wish I had a smoothie because about half way through I got REALLY hungry and I knew that I wouldn't be able to satisfy my growling stomach for about another three hours. A think thin white chocolate protein bar just doesn't do enough.

Regardless, I arrived in Houston, approached a man holding an Olympic trials sign, informed him that Caitlin Chrisman is here, and called the Elite Transportation "captain" named Bert. Once I set foot in Houston, the rush of excitement, nervousness, anxiety, exhilaration and disbelief all hit me at one time, and I was a little thrown aback at the strength of all these emotions rolled into one. So much buildup has been put into this race, and now that I was finally there, it was hard to believe it was finally a reality.

While waiting for Bert, I decided to do the unthinkable. In my so-tight-I-almost-can't-breathe $10 skinny jeans and long boots, I propped my leg up on the baggage carousel and began rolling the muscle trac massager over my legs. To quote the Adidas ad campaign from 99...runners. Yeah, we're different.

This was me at the airport, but on the baggage claim

I was vaguely aware of the prim southerners who stopped their conversations to take a glance my way, but I kept massaging my legs. After all, what was a better way to make the time go by? Soon, I put the stick down because Bert had arrived, and I hopped into the front seat of a ten passenger van to drive to the Hilton Americas hotel. We were the only two people in the van, so I was able to learn some gossip about the weekend. Apparently I was one of the first to arrive this week! I found out from Bert that the super stars like Ryan Hall and Kara Goucher are getting picked up in BMWs. I liked the van just fine; it was free!

I checked into the Hilton at 10am, and walked into an amazing room that looks outs on the start line for the race on Saturday. I immediately unpacked all of my stuff and folded it nicely into drawers before heading out for a run on the first three miles on the course. Other than having to stop at nearly every intersection for the first two miles, the run was nice and I was clicking off 720s the whole way. The course is fairly flat, but not like Kiawah Island flat. It has some gently rolling hills once we get outside of the city.

My stomach was growling uncontrollably, so I ended the run at Jason's deli, where I enjoyed a salad at a table all by myself (family and friends don't get in until tomorrow). I couldn't pick up my Elite credentials until 2pm, so I even took the extra time to buy some jam at a grocery store. I arrived promptly at the elite athlete checkin only to realize that I was the first one there and that they hadn't received the list of athletes yet and so therefore I couldn't sign in yet.

Fortunately for me, all of the USATF representatives were there and one of them took me on a tour of all the Elite rooms - elite massage, elite hospitality suite, elite quiet room with laptops for our use, elite friends and family lounge, and the elite bathrooms. All of these amenities are located on the fourth floor of the Hilton, a floor that is comprised solely of ballrooms. Essentially, the US Olympic committee has taken over the whole floor.

By the time I got back from my tour, I was introduced to another USATF official, who introduced me to Mo Trafeh, one of the favorites to place in the top five. We chatted for some time as I pretended to not know that I had just read this article on him a couple days ago. In the end, all of these athletes are just normal people like you or me. They just might get paid to run while we do not.

Everyone in the Elite area was so very nice. I was so grateful to be surrounded by so many officials who share the same passion for running as I do. I couldn't help but wonder if some of the officials used to be Olympic trials qualifiers themselves, but I never found the right moment to ask. They kept telling me to let them know if there was anything I needed that wasn't already available in the food selection. So far, it seemed like they had everything covered (including soy milk).

Soon, I got my race credentials and race bag, which included a nice plastic cup with the trials logo on it, a Nike running hat with the logo, and sunscreen. I grabbed my "to-go" box of elite water bottles and spent the next hour decorating them with CRC stickers and hello kitty. I also determined which ones to put gels, Gatorade, or water in. By this time, it was 4pm and I decided I needed to do nothing for a little while, so I finished a book by Johnathon Tropper before heading to a grocery store for dinner.

After dinner, there really isn't much more to report other than checking out Facebook, watching a snippet of a movie, and, after I finish writing this, turning out the lights at 8pm.

Week in Review

2012-01-08T21:53:00.003-05:00

75 Miles
2 Doubles
2 workouts
13.1 Mile long run
2 lifting sessions
1 Surprise Party

With a lot of hype and nervous energy, I've completed my last full week of taper before the Trials. It's hard to believe that in just six days all the hard work and dedication will come to fruition as soon as I cross the finish line on Saturday. This week's mileage was quite similar to the week before, but I felt like less time was committed, oddly enough. I got back into the full swing of work in a cubicle with ease, but struggled to get back on my normal sleep schedule after our return from California. Fortunately enough, the weather in Charlotte has been uncharacteristically warm, making it easy to get out of the door every day. I even found time to do some ancillary stuff with Garrett at the gym because I wanted to spend as much time as possible with him.

While my workouts went exactly as planned, my social life didn't - and I mean this in a good way. Kelly and Meghan Fillnow teamed up with all the other runner ladies in Charlotte to host a suprise party for Megan Hovis and I (and Meagan Nedlo in spirit). While I tried to make plans for Garrett and I to go out with my co-worker, he was trying to tell me that we had a double date planned with John and Kelly. I knew we didn't, so I called Kelly who said that she had a friend in town but that she really wanted to give me a birthday present tonight. John confirmed that she wanted to me to come over at 730 to pick up my birthday present, so I agreed.

When I walked into the house, Meghan and Kelly were acting really awkward (Kelly literally just turned around and walked away from me because I'm pretty sure she was trying to tell everyone to jump out) and then Dalena, Michelle, Danielle, Anna, Carolyn, Jocelyn, Pezz, Emily, Mo, and Alice all jumped out from the kitchen with a huge SURPRISE! In addition to having all of my favorite ladies in one place at one time, the Fillnows had baked lots of yummy breads and even bought vegan cake pops! This gesture of kindness was the best way to really start getting excited about the Trials. I enjoyed chatting with all the girls, talking about upcoming races, and hearing about everyone's goals for 2012. No matter what happens at the Trials in just six days, I know that these women will be proud of the Charlotte trio for just making it to the start line. I am so grateful to have such supportive and phenomenal friends. It would have only been better if we could have flown Meagan Nedlo out to share in the excitement!

Now that this week has winded down, there are only two more days left for me to spend in Charlotte before I head to Houston on Wednesday morning, where a flurry of activity begins! Activities include reuniting with friends that I've met throughout the journey, picking up my race packet, signing Meagan, Megan and me up for pre-race massages, elite technical meetings, and grabbing as much free food from the Elite Hospitality Suite as possible. I've listed my athlete support person to be Garrett, who will join Jordan and Ben to create an entourage of support for the Charlotte ladies. I'm depending on Rebecca Thomason and Matt Jaskot to make the Saturday post-race festitivities as memorable as they come (which could very mean that I don't actually remember the epic night).

Since running Twin Cities in October 2010, I have been counting down for this Saturday's race, quite possibly the biggest race of my career. As I've stated before, the key is to soak up the entire experience, and run with everything I have in the tank on that day. The best part is that I am going into the Trials knowing that I've done everything I could have (given that I have a full time job) to prepare for this race.

Spotlights
Unlike Meagan, I don't have a PR Assistant named Jordan Kinley, so I've got to give my out shout outs...

Thanks so Theoden for posting an article in the Charlotte Obvserver.
Thanks to Brandan Laan of RunnersFeed for interviewing quite possibly ALL of the Olympic Trials Qualifiers. You can read my interview here.

2x3 Miles

2012-01-04T18:57:00.000-05:00

Goal:
8 mile tempo at 610-600

Actual:
2 miles warmup
3 miles in 17:31 (559, 550, 542), 2 min jog rest, 3 miles in 17:44 (5:55, 5:55, 5:54)
2 miles cool down for 10+ miles cool down

Last year before Twin Cities, I did an 8 mile tempo at McAlpine. This time around, I was still feeling run down from my travel back to Charlotte from California. I only got five hours of sleep on Saturday night, and woke up at 6AM to get a long run in with Spada on Sunday. This felt like 3AM to my body, which was still on West Coast time. Since then, it's been very difficult for me to fall asleep before 11PM, meaning that I'm getting less than 7 hours of sleep a night, which is not enough for me. With that being said, I asked Nedlo what her workout was and she did this, so I figured it was a safe alternative to the 8 mile tempo.

I slept in, so there was no one to run with. I opted to run this workout at 430PM with Garrett along on the bike. We began the workout and I felt really good after the warmup. Slightly pressed for time, I started the workout by just jogging into it and already took off faster than I had planned. Instead of coming through in 610, I was right below 6 and the pace kept dropping. This part felt like a total breeze. We ended near the pond in Freedom Park, Garrett handed me some water, and soon we were off again.

During the second set, there was a u-turn so that I could practice my turning skills for the big race. I noted that the u-turns could be mentally debilitating and vowed to make sure I focus on that in my mental preparations this week. I wanted to slow it down in this set, so I ran perfectly even 555s. Right on target for what I'd like to run in the last 10k of my race in just 9 days.

I'm pleased with this workout and looking forward to the next set of workouts that are really more focused on just keeping the legs fresh and ready to go for next Saturday. I've got a simple fartlek on Friday, a 13-miler on Saturday, and then 3x1 mile at MP on Tuesday. After that, it's all about staying calm and confident...and stress free!

Week in Review

2012-01-01T10:47:00.000-05:00

78 Miles
1 Double
2 Workouts
16 mile long run
6 days in California

Only 13 more days to Trials, and I just finished up my last big week of training. It's hard to believe that over 52 weeks of hard work, endless miles, and countless conversations have been geared towards this one goal for so long. I am so grateful that I was able to spend almost two weeks with my family in California and also to run in some of the best weather in the country. The Cal Coast Track Club members kept me company for one of my workouts this week and a couple of easy runs. This helped me stay motivated and encouraged while I was away from my nest of Charlotte running partners.

I am gradually decreasing my weekly mileage in a slow taper so that my legs will still be sharp, but slightly rested for the Big Day. Next week will be fairly low key with a 50-60 minute tempo and a light fartlek of sorts. The focus will be to keep my mind in tune with the smallest of things - nutrition, stretching, rolling, sleep, water...the list goes on.

3x2 Mile with 2 Min Rest

2011-12-30T10:21:00.001-05:00

Goal:
3x2 mile with 2 min rest at 600, 550, 540

Actual:
2.7 miles warmup
3x2 mile at 11:40 (551, 548), 11:26 (5:41, 5:45), and 11:18 (5:39, 5:39)
2.6 miles cool down

I'm trying to mirror everything that I did before Twin Cities in these last three weeks leading up to the Olympic Trials, so I had 3x2 mile on tap for today. Last marathon cycle, the workout went well on the Dilworth Speed Loop. This time around, I wanted to be a little more aggressive on the first one and then gradually get faster on each one.

Knowing that I would run faster with the company of another, Juan Morales and I determined to meet at 730AM at the Newport Back Bay and to run our warmup to the Irvine Bike Path, which is flat with two minor uphills. The uphills are similar to the uphills I'll be running over in Houston, so the route was a perfect choice. We went out 2 miles and followed the same course for the 2nd interval. For the third, we went out and back 1 mile.

The hill we ran up on the Irvine Bike Path

The best part about this workout is that I not only achieved my time goals, but I also did so with less rest than last year (2:10 as opposed to 3:00). The first set didn't even feel hard and my breathing wasn't labored. Juan and I even chatted through at least 1.5 miles. For the second one, I took off like a bat out hell in like 5:20 pace and fell asleep a little bit from 1-1.5 but woke up enough to bring the pace back down to a reasonable clip. By the third one, I could feel some slight fatigue in my legs, but pushed any thoughts of distress out of my head to power through it. I really wanted my last one to be my fastest interval, and Juan and I made that happen.

With this run, the 20 mile steady state, and the 8 mile wave tempo, I can tell that my body is ready for the Trials. Now the key is to mentally prepare for the race and to envision multiple scenarios that could play out. This has always been a crucial preparation step for me as it helps to further cement the mental focus I'll need in the race.

Solo Fartlek in the Newport Back Bay

2011-12-27T10:13:00.009-05:00

Goal:
4 Miles of Speed

Actual:
3+ miles warmup
1-2-2-1-1-2-2-1-2-2-1-1-1-1-1 with 1 min rest

I did this workout around 3PM in the Newport Back Bay all by my lonesome. My Cal Coast Track Club buddies were doing a workout (guess where?) on the track and I didn't feel like getting toasted by several men in the "A" group all at once. I also didn't want to meet at the track after the sun had set, so I opted for a solo fartlek on the Back Bay bike path. Before Twin Cities, at this same time in my training cycle I did 4 miles of speed work in the form of 2:45 on/off. I wanted to mix things up and run on feel, so I just did 1-2-2-1 with 1 min rest and then with some extra 1 minutes at the end for added benefit. There wasn't a Garmin involved, but I was breathing pretty hard for the "on" segments. I was running fast and feeling strong. This was a nice way to come back after the grueling 20 mile steady state on Friday, and I could tell that my legs had already bounced back. Next up, I've got 3x2 mile and a 16-18 mile long run.

Aerial view on the Newport Back Bay

Newport Back Bay Path - Parts are Fine Rock and others asphalt

Week in review

2011-12-26T00:50:00.000-05:00

85+ miles
2 doubles
20 mile steady state long run
6 days in California

I can't think of a better way to spend my last big week of training. Five days of running in ideal weather conditions and picturesque landscapes has made for a rather enjoyable week! Of course, taking the standard work schedule out of the picture helped immensely so I soaked up every minute of my vacation time to get in quality workouts and runs.

On Friday I ran a 20 mile steady state that left my legs feeling more sore than ever. I was planning on hitting 90 miles this week but on Saturday I could really only muster a measly five miles out of my legs before calling it a day. Fortunately my run today went much better but I can tell it will take my legs at least one more day to feel fully recovered from the hilly long run at a good clip.

After my Friday long run, my parents and brother arrived from Arizona to reunite with Vanessa, Garrett and I. I am so honored to have such an active family because every morning I've stepped out to run, my parents have followed close behind. It's definitely been a family affair to go running and we even went on a family run / walk on Christmas day to celebrate. Mom, dad, and I all ran while Garrett, Vanessa and Joey went on a hike through the Newport back bay nature preserve.

For christmas, Garrett's mom got t-shirts made for our entire family to wear at the Olympic Trials. My mom already has been showcasing hers. How exciting to have a fun club that will be easily identifiable in bright red shirts!

We finished up our Christmas festivities by watching the sunset on the beach and trying to feed sea annemmaes. I am grateful to spend this week in California and look forward to the rest of my stay. Happy holidays to all and I hope your Christmas run was shared with loved ones!

20 Miles Steady State in Palos Verdes

2011-12-23T13:35:00.000-05:00

Goal:

20 Miles at 620-640 if on flat surface

Actual:

20 Miles at 6:36 pace for 2:12:00

.76 miles cool down

After emailing quite possibly one of the best high school cross country coaches in the country, Bill Sumner, I was connected with three runners from the Cal Coast Track Club. Bill Sumner connected me last year with Juan and Juan for a couple of long runs and this year, I would run with Juan and a new guy named Trevor. After several email exchanges on Monday, Juan agreed to pick me up in Newport Beach at 6AM to drive an hour to Palos Verdes, California to meet Trevor.

Palos Verdes, as pictured below, is different than the rest of the Los Angeles coastal regions. Instead of being densely populated with asphalt, there are more trees than slabs of concrete. The region is nestled on the Pacific Coast, in a mountainous region that has wild peacocks running around. Since I was warned about the hills, I figured I would need to adjust my goals accordingly. Instead, I found that I felt pretty good despite the 600 feet climb.

Palos Verdes from the Mountain

The first mile was uphill, and our first mile split reflected that as we ran just a little under 8:00 pace. After that, we settled into a rythm that hovered around the 630s until mile 6. That's when the mountain hit and I ran 7-725 for the hilly parts. After the 9th mile, my friends told me that the hills were over, but I found out later that just the BIG hills were over. There were small hills scattered throughout the rest of the course, and after already running 3 miles up a mountain and then back down, my legs were pretty fatigued from the impact. By mile 14, I was feeling pretty tired if there was even the slightest incline and found myself hoping at every turn that there would be a flat or downhill segment so that I wouldnt feel the burning sensation in my quads and gluteus. I think that hilly runs bring out the weak points in your body. By miles 15-20 I could tell that my left glut / hip region is much weaker than my right. I hope to focus on strengthening this side of my body in 2012 so it doesn't lead to any injury.

By mile 18, I ran 603 pace and I was 10-20 feet behind my male counterparts who were getting antsy about finishing. I figured that today wasn't supposed to be my day where I proved myself, so I slowed it down a notch before even realizing that all of mile 19 was a gradual uphill. I slowed to a 644, but was still able to finish my 20th mile in 6:20 pace. The full splits are listed in the garmin map below.

We walked the last 400 meters because I didn't feel like running up the last hill and because I didn't want to log any more than I had to. After stretching and changing, Juan, Trevor and I went to Starbucks that had a beautiful view of the ocean. California is so perfect; I am so lucky to have a sister who lives out here to visit!!

View from Starbucks

I am very fortunate to have made the connection with Trevor and Juan because their company pushed me along at times when I really wanted to walk up the mountain. I feel so grateful and honored to have run with them and I look forward to more runs in the future. Most importantly, I realized that I am ready for the Olympic Trials in just 22 days.

This is my last big workout, and I know that my body and mind are ready. I am just so honored to have this opportunity to race with my closest friends and to be part of a race where so many phenomenal runners will be toeing the line. There is just so much excitement and energy going on around the Trials this year because American distance runners keep getting better and better. I am grateful to part of something so incredible and to share the experience with close friends and family.

Beach Cruisin' at the Back Bay

2011-12-21T19:51:00.004-05:00

Goal:

8-10 Miles Wave (545-550/615-620) or Tempo (610-605)

Actual:

2 miles warmup

8 mile wave in 630, 555, 607, 550, 607, 540, 607, 538

2 miles cool down for 12 miles total

After a day of traveling to LA from Charlotte on Tuesday, I was a bit skeptical of how this workout would go. Since it's my birthday, I figured it had to go better than I expected. Fortunately, I was able to drag Garrett out with me for the extra motivation. With him there, I push myself harder because I hate explaining why I had a bad workout. He rode alongside me on my sister's baby blue beach cruiser that three speeds, a basket, and a bell. Did he ring the bell? You bet...Every time I finished a mile. The bike actually was a great addition because I got to bring my cell phone to capture photos of the beautiful Newport Back Bay Nature Reserve and of Garrett biking alongside the path!

After a 2 mile warmup, I just picked up the pace to a comfortable clip, undecided yet if I would be doing a tempo or a wave. My legs still felt a little fatigued from traveling but my breathing felt really relaxed, so I decided to go with a wave. The one and only hill of the workout was in the first mile, but followed by an extremely sharp downhill. Once my mile split went off, I decided it would be best to start picking it up for the fast part. The second mile felt easy and when it was time to do my "slow" mile, I found it really hard to actually slow my body down. Apparently 6:07 pace is my sweet spot because I hit that pace for all of my easy miles. By the fourth mile, I was feeling great. The sun was shining directly on my face, so I took of my long sleeve shirt, tossed it over to Garrett, and he stuffed it into our handy basket.

During the second half of the run, I was rolling - everything seemed to be fitting perfectly together. My breathing was definitely much more labored for the hard parts because I was dipping into the 540s, but when the 6:07 part came, it felt really easy and my breathing slowed down immensely.

Overall, I'm very pleased with this workout. After several days with less sleep than I'm typically accustomed to and a full day of travel, my legs were still ready to rock this tempo. In just two days, I am doing a 20 Mile steady state at Palos Verdes, California with two other guys from the Cal Coast Track Club. I am hoping my legs will still be somewhat fatigued from this workout to simulate the feeling of the last 20 miles of the Trials Marathon.

Countdown: 24 Days until the 2012 US Olympic Trials Marathon

Garrett's beach cruiser on the path

post workout in the back bay

Week in Review

2011-12-18T21:52:00.058-05:00

90 Miles
3 Doubles
22.5 Mile Long Run
1 Workout
1 Newborn Baby - Eva Penny

No, I didn't have a baby. But Garrett's cousin Emily did! On Sunday, December 18th, the Adams and the Bullocks filled Rex Hospital's Nursery 2 to watch as baby Eva got her first bath! This was my first experience seeing a newborn baby, albeit through a shield of glass, but it was still a life altering experience. The fact that almost 20 people were there to welcome baby Eva into this world is a clear indicator of the vast amount of love that every single person in this family feels for Eva. Unfortunately Garrett and I did not get a chance to hold her as we had to take off after the family Christmas gift exchange to make it back to a birthday celebration that Billy Shue had organized here in Charlotte.

The trend of sharing love continued from Raleigh and all the way to Charlotte's Cantina. Garrett and I arrived at the restaurant, where several of my close friends had gathered to wish me an early happy birthday. After we got our food, Carolyn announced that all the guests should share a story about me. As Jay said later, it felt either like my rehearsal dinner or my funeral. I'll go with rehearsal dinner. In the end, all of my friends shared a story with the group. The kind and thoughtful tributes practically brought me to tears as I realized how lucky I am to be surrounded by such caring people. Matt Jaskot shared perhaps one of the nicest things he's ever said to me in his entire life, but if you want to know what he said, you'll need to ask him so he gets embarrassed. To top it off, Jay and Lauren made a quick cameo appearance, fresh off the plane from New York City.

With so much love going around, it really makes the running update seem rather mundane in comparison, so I'll just leave it at this: running went great this week! Steve Spada ran the entire 22+ mile long run with me, even though he has no logical reason for doing so! Talk about dedication!

Workout with Spada

2011-12-14T13:39:00.002-05:00

Goal:

5 mile tempo

Actual:
2.36 mile warmup
10-8-6-4-2
10 - 1.68 miles (5:57 ave) - 602 thru mile (3:00 rest)
08 - 1.41 miles (539 ave) - 5:39 thru mile (3:00 rest)
06 - 1.07 miles (537 ave) - 5:38 thru mile (2:00 rest)
04 - .72 miles (534 ave) - (2:00 rest)
02 - .38 (518 ave)
2.7 mile cool down for 11 miles total

pm: 3.1 miles easy

Going into this workout, I warned Steve that it would probably not be a tempo. I knew that I wouldn't feel like doing yet another tempo after one last Tuesday and a simulation run on Saturday, so I improvised instead. This fartlek workout was 30 minutes of work, which is roughly the same amount of distance if we did a 5 mile tempo. Coincidentally, Steve and I ran 5.26 miles in 30 minutes, which equates to roughly 5:42 pace for the entire distance.

As we toed the line at the Dilworth Speed Loop, I already could tell that this workout was going to go great. My mind was in the right place and my legs felt relatively good. We really just ran on effort and I pushed the pace for the longer distances (10-8-6). In fact, ever since I found out that my iron level was normal again, I have been practicing mental techniques that will make me strongest for competition and workouts. I firmly believe in exercising the mind constantly, especially outside of just running. Mental preparation is extremely important for the marathon, so I am constantly positively reinforcing myself and preparing for the next workout.

In today's workout, I practiced encouraging myself to push even harder when my body really hurt. On the 4-minute interval, I was really hurting and hating the road that was stretched out before me. Steve had already pulled away by at least ten meters, and he was gaining even more ground on me. I wanted to cave in and just slow down, but instead, I glanced down at my watch, saw there were only 30 seconds left, and committed to making myself hurt for the last segment. Suddenly I had another gear and I almost caught Steve! Little mechanisms such as these can go a long way, and I was proud of myself for convincing my legs to push a little bit more.

So far, my Trials training schedule is coming along quite well. I have noticed that I am really tired all the time, which must be a combination of the higher mileage, the robust "couples schedule" that I've been maintaining, and the 50 hours a week spent at a computer desk. Needless to say, I am desperately ready to be in California with my family, where I can sleep in and run whenever I want.

Week in Review

2011-12-11T14:43:00.001-05:00

79 Miles
2 Doubles
13.1 Miles in 1:18:49 at Kiawah Half Marathon

My iron is higher, my simulation run is done, and there's only really 3 more weeks of solid marathon training before I begin to taper. I couldn't be more pleased with this week. After starting off with a mediocre 4 mile tempo, I was able to run a solid half marathon in preparation for January. I even caught up on some much needed sleep on Sunday morning by postponing my run until 1PM. The best part about winter is that you don't have to get up before the sunrise to beat the heat.

I've got just one more week left in Charlotte before I head off to Newport Beach, California to enjoy time with my family and Garrett. On the workout calendar, I'll be preparing for a 5 mile tempo and a 22-24 mile long run on Saturday. Garrett and I depart on Tuesday, December 20th in the morning for our non-stop flight to LAX. I'm most excited to spend my birthday with my sister and Garrett in warm, sunny California!!

Countdown to the Trials: 34 Days

Trials Simulation Success at Kiawah

2011-12-10T22:08:00.000-05:00

Goal:
13.1 Miles to Simulate the first 13.1 Miles of the Trials (1:18:30-1:19:30)

Actual:
2.5 mile warmup
13.1 Mile Race at 1:18:49, 3rd Place, $250
Splits:
01 - 604
02 - 609
03 - 607
04 - 603
05 - 602
06 - 605 - 39:55 (halfway)
07 - 609 (turnaround)
08 - 600
09 - 554
10 - 554
11 - 554
12 - 553
13 - 552
.1 - :39 - 38:54 (2nd half)
2.5 mile cool down for 18 miles

What's a better way to go into a race knowing that your ferritin level is now a 25? I found out the results of my ferritin test on Friday afternoon - my strict regimen of iron supplementation and spinach paid off big time. As soon as I read the results, I told myself: You're back; no more excuses. I wanted (and needed) to run a solid simulation run in the half for my own mental sanity.

As I noted in my blog last week, the plan was to run with Aaron for 5-8 miles, to stay relaxed, and to have as much fun as possible. Of course, the main goal was to execute the same race plan I'd like to execute at the Trials, practice my fueling strategy, and check my fitness level so that I can set a realistic time goal.

After a good night's rest at the Kasa de Kahn in Charleston, Aaron, Mike, Jason, and I made our way to the Elite tent at the Kiawah Golf Resort, less than 25 meters from the Start Line. The Elite Coordinator, Beth, was kind enough to invite my entourage into the tent, so I was fortunate to spend some time preparing with Jason Martin. All the pre-race rituals went along as planned, although I will note that it took me literally 8 different tries to finally get the tightness of my shoe strings exactly right.

At the Start, I spotted Aaron and situated myself in front of him and on the side of the women marathoners. I wanted to make sure that I didn't go out too fast, so I was in the second row of the elites. The gun went off and Aaron let out his standard tribal howling sound to pump up the crowd. I just smiled, knowing that I'll never have that type of personality to exhibit so publicly.

Within the first 800 meters, Lat Purser found us and situated himself in our little group. Over the course of the next 8 miles, I effortlessly maintained a pace just above 6:00 minutes, talking with Aaron and Lat some, and just enjoying the scenery. I took a Honey Stinger at mile 5 with some water to wash it down. BY mile 8, Lat or I dropped the pace to 6:00 and Aaron let us know that he needed to drop back since he still had 18 miles left in the full. We said our farewells, and Lat and I took off.

We picked up the next 5 miles all between 554-552. Around mile 9, I thanked Lat for running with me, curiously wondering why he was even hanging back with me at all. He informed me that he had been sick the entire week and so running with us sounded a lot more fun than gutting out 13.1 miles solo. The selfish part of me is happy that he got sick, because it meant that I had a running buddy for the entire race.

Lat ran right beside me the entire way, reported the mile splits, and encouraged me when I was hurting in the last mile. He prevented me from running off course when I was too busy focusing on drinking water during mile 10. He even stayed with me in the final straightway when I'm sure he was itching to just blast away from me with his sub-5 speed.

In reflection, I am extremely happy with how this race worked out for me. I finished with a 3-second PR in the half and I felt really strong in the end. I finished the second half of the race today over 1 minute faster than the first half. My fueling strategy worked out quite well and I didn't have any GI issues before, during, or after the race. I accomplished everything that I wanted to out of this race, and am excited to finish off the next three weeks of training before heading into taper mode. All in all, I am confident that I can go into the Trials and start out at 610 pace and drop it from there to hopefully negative split.

I am very grateful for Lat and Aaron's company throughout the race, for Mike's generosity in offering us free lodging, and for the Elite Coordinator for granting me entry into the race. It was a great experience to simulate the trials on a closed course with the same bottles that I'll use in Houston.

4 Mile Tempo

2011-12-06T13:40:00.016-05:00

Goal:
5 Mile Progression tempo at 615-540

Actual:
3+ miles warmup
4 mile tempo in 23:58 (601, 558, 601, 559)
3+ miles cool down

I actually don't know if the splits above are exactly right, but they are close enough for you to get the picture. On this December morning, it was a humid 60 degrees. Did I mention it's December? If I'm fantasizing about snowflakes and cuddling near a fireplace in December, then something is clearly wrong. I'm ready for the cold already.

Anyways, I did this workout with Spada on the Dilworth 2-Mile Speed Loop in the early morning hours. It's funny because I thought that I was running much more terribly than I actually was since the darkness made it difficult to read my Garmin splits. I thought that our first mile was a 6:11 (it was 6:01) and I thought that our last mile was 6:10 (it was 6:01). I felt terrible, but who knows if it was the iron, the low humidity, or the fact that I've run 86, 90, 90 miles for the past three weeks. Last year around this time I was cranking out 60 minute tempos at 6:00 pace. I know that I am capable of running 600s for a much longer period of time (in fact, will put that to the test on Saturday at Kiawah), but for now this is what I have to work with it, and I'm pleased with the effort.

Did I mention how much I love working out with Spada? Typically we are pretty evenly matched, he is encouraging, and he's just hilarious. Right now, since he doesn't have any big goal race in the near future, it means that he is more flexible with his workout plan. This also means that, so long as our schedules coincide, that I have a guaranteed workout buddy to replace Jordan.

In other news, I get my iron checked on Thursday. The results should be in by Friday or Monday. I'm crossing my fingers for a number above 15 (which is still ridiculously low, but I know that I can still run fast with that level). I will keep you all posted!

Week In Review

2011-12-04T20:24:00.001-05:00

90 Miles
2 Workouts
1 Day of Lifting
21 Mile Long Run at 717 Pace
3 Dance Lessons

Success! Second week at my highest mileage ever. This week was a turning point for me in that I believe my iron has reached adequate levels. Of course, this is all speculation because I haven't gotten my iron checked again. I am supposed to get it done tomorrow, but I'm most likely not going because my last visit cost $300 and I can't really fathom spending $600 in less than a month on two blood tests. Needless to say, I was able to keep up with Alana and Pezz in an 8-mile tempo on Tuesday, run a solid 20x1 min workout, and enjoy 21 miles with at least 10 different people this morning. Clearly, things are my blood is getting the sufficient amount of oxygen it needs! With the way I'm feeling now, I am anxious to start setting out at a faster pace, but I'd like to wait one more week to make sure the feeling of euphoria lasts.
Next week, I've got a short tempo on Tuesday before heading out to Kiawah on Thursday night for my simulation run on Saturday morning. My goal is to run 610-600 pace. The plan is to start at the same pace I'd like to go out in at the Trials. Hopefully it will go something like this:
Miles 0-6: 605-610 Pace with Aaron (18:30 through 3 miles)
Miles 7-9: 555-605 Pace
Miles 10-13: 550-600 Pace for 1:18:30-1:19:30
Cheers to full iron stores!

Change of Plans - 20x1 Min

2011-12-02T15:27:00.000-05:00

Goal:
20x400m with 1 min Rest

Actual:
2.5 Miles Warmup
20x1 Min for 3.86 miles in 20 Minutes (5:10 pace)
3 mile Cool Down for 11.4 Miles Total

Matt and I were supposed to do 20x400m this morning, but he bailed on me and I really didn't want to do 400s in the morning completely solo in the cold. We decided to do the workout at 4pm instead. This change would allow for the termperature to warm up and also for Thomas and Michelle to join us. Garrett escorted me on the bike from our house to the JCSU Track. We met Matt and we presented us with the news that the Track was closed off for JCSU track practice.

This is a policy that the team started to enforce this year and I guess since I was a track athlete myself that I should be understanding of this new rule, but selfishly, I'm not. This track was built as a community track, which means that it technically isn't "JCSU's" track. It's a public track, not privately owned, which means that the public should be able to use it whenever we want. Ah, but I digress.

Track or not, I had a workout to complete. Thomas, Michelle, Matt, Garrett and I made our way to the cemetery and plotted to run "figure eights" through the cemetery road. This route featured a rolling terrain, so it would be pretty tough on some of the uphill segments. Fortunately I had my Garmin, so I took a couple of minutes to get the workout set up, and then we were off.

During the workout, I felt really great compared to the last time I did this workout three weeks ago. I can tell that my iron is getting better because my legs felt light and fresh. Thomas was great company as he really helped push me on the uphill segments. As always, Garrett was a great companion on all intervals with his steady demeanor and quiet resolve.

Most of the flat or downhill segments were run in 4:50-5:00 pace. For the uphill sections we hit 5:10-5:30 pace, depending on the grade of the hill. I slowed down way to much on one of the intervals on the uphill, which was just me letting the hill own me. I also noticed a nagging tightness in my left hamstring, which is my weaker leg. I'll have to focus on pre-hab activities this weekend so it doesn't turn into anything more serious.

8 Mile Tempo Run

2011-11-29T18:16:00.000-05:00

Goal:
3x3 Mile with 3 min rest

Actual:
2.5 mile warmup
8 mile "progression" tempo in 615, 615, 608, 610, 557, 604, 607, 600 for 49:00 total time (607 average)
2.5 mile cool down for 13 miles

Pezz informed me on Monday that she and Alana were going to do an 8 mile progression tempo together. At first, I was just going to run with them for the first three miles and then try to catch back up with them by the start of my 2nd set. However, I made a last minute decision to do the 8 mile tempo with the two ladies instead of my originally planned workout.

After a warmup with Mark biking alongside, I met back up with Alana and Pezz near the 2 mile mark of the greenway. The plan was to run on the greenway portion of McAlpine, with a total of three u-turns (practicing for the Trials course). We ran from the 2-mile mark, to the 3-mile mark (turnaround), to Old Bell (turnaround), back to the 3-mile mark (turnaround), and finished at the 2-mile mark.

Uncertain of what my body would be capable of, I made goals for each segment to help ease any mental unrest and to focus on the immediate goal. I figured that Pezz would take off after the 4-mile mark, so my initial goal was to hang with Pezz and Alana through the 4 mile mark. After that, my goal was to stay below 610. After that, my goal was to stay as close to Alana as possible. The three of us came through the four mile mark together perfectly and I felt really good. I could tell that my legs were really tired, but I knew that if I committed to the pace mentally that my legs would be able to handle it physically.

Admittedly, I was running scared, completely uncertain of whether my lungs would carry me the goals I had formed for each of the segments. After the 4-mile mark, Alana pulled up alongside of me, and we ran side-by-side through 5. She even told me that she felt like she was running a lot slower than we actually were because of Pezz's sizable distance that she kept creating between us. Between breaths of air, I gasped out that it would be good for her mental psyche so that when it happens in a race, she'll be prepared.

By mile 6, Alana had gained a 5-10 meter lead on me, but somehow I found another gear and powered up beside her by the 7-mile mark. After the u-turn, she gained some more distance on me, but we finished within seconds of each other on a windy last mile. It was really fun to work together with Alana as it motivated me to go outside of my comfort zone and to push myself, even if my body was revolting.

I am very pleased with this workout. I did this workout last year, with fewer u-turns and less winds, and ran slower (610 ave) than I did today (607 ave). I am excited to see that improvement, especially given that my iron levels have been low in the last couple of weeks. I think that the iron levels are beginning to reach normal again and that my body will begin to feel more energized. I'm still en route to run another 90 miles this week, so it's always nice to start off with a great workout.

Up Next: to focus on 20x400m with 1 min rest on Friday!

Countdown to Trials: 45 Days

we ran from 2 mile mark, to 3 mile mark, uturn and then back to old bell, to the 3 mile mark, u-turn, and finished at the 2 mile mark

Week in Review

2011-11-27T19:09:00.000-05:00

90 Miles
4 Doubles
20 mile Long Run at 700 Pace
1 Massage

Hey, there's always light at the end of the tunnel. My iron isn't fully back up yet (that I know of), but I was still able to hit 90 miles for the week. Considering it was Thanksgiving, I'm rather proud of achieving my highest mileage ever when I wasn't even in Charlotte for four days. One unique thing about this week was that I ran all three of my workouts mostly by myself. Even though I felt like total crap on two of those workouts, I pushed through them both to hit the mileage target. Surprisingly, I've found that it's easier for me mentally to work out on my own so that I don't feel self-conscious about my over exertion.

I hope that I can hit 90 miles next week before taking a slight down week for my simulation run weekend at Kiawah on December 10th. This next week will be a big one for me because I've got 3x3 mile, 20x400m, and a 20-22 mile long run on tap. With the long run and the two long workouts, I think it will be much easier to hit 90 miles next week than this past week.

Countdown to the Olympic Trials: <7 weeks or 47+ days

Greenville Fartlek in Lyndale

2011-11-25T18:30:00.000-05:00

Goal:
6x1 mile

Actual:
2.3 miles warmup for 18 min total

10-8-6-5-4-3 with half rest - paces below
10: 1.65 miles for 605 pace
8: 1,4 miles for 546 pace
6: 1.05 miles for 543 pace
5: .88 miles for 543 pace
4: .7 miles for 548 pace
3: .52 miles for 548 pace

1.8 miles total for cool down

I ended up running this workout in a fancy neighborhood in Greenville, NC after hanging out with Garrett's extended family all day. It was great to spend so much quality time with Garrett's cousins since I really do feel like I'm on the cousins. We learned more about Barbara's boyfriend, Emily's pregnancy, Thomas' summer abroad plans, and Elyse's job search. The aunts started talking about giving birth and the boys all left the room immediately. It's a great way to get rid of the guys at a family gathering, that's for sure.

After lots of sitting around socializing, I finally decided that it was time to get this workout going, which also meant that I would be running in the dark. I consulted with Garrett and he advised for me to run in a fancy neighborhood called Lyndale that featured miles upon miles of lighted streets without any traffic lights.

I decided to do a workout focused on time instead of distance so that I would not focus on the speed (or lack thereof ). I just set Mr. Garmin to beep at me for the intervals and for the jog rest to make sure that I was focusing solely on effort. I didn't look at the garmin for the entire workout, so I definitely accomplished the goal, which was to not die. I also made sure that my altered workout would be the same distance as my original workout plans - so over 6 miles. This would ensure that I got in the same amount of work that I was originally supposed to achieve.

Coming through the 10-8-6-5, I felt absolutely fantastic. I could tell that I was getting faster on each interval and my legs felt really strong. My breathing was under control and I felt really confident that my 4-3 were going to go great. I sure was wrong about that. By the time I did the 5-4-3, it felt like the wheels were coming off the bus. My hamstrings were screaming and I struggled to get that leg lift that had been so easy to achieve on the longer segments. Really, I was just hanging on. My breathing was labored, but I pushed through it. You can tell where I struggled by looking at my pace times. In fact, I ran faster on the 5-6 than I did on the 4-3.

Despite the shortcomings in the last 7 minutes, I can't help but be pleased with this workout because I ran faster than 6:00 pace for the majority of this workout. Goals have been adjusted obviously, but this is where I'm at right now, so I am happy with the effort put forth!

4 Mile Tempo

2011-11-22T10:31:00.001-05:00

Goal:
4-5 Mile Tempo at Whatever Pace You Can Hold

Actual:
2.4 Mile Warmup
4 miles at 6:48, 614, 553, 558
3 Mile Cool down for 9.4 Miles Total

So my new goal for these next couple of weeks of training is to start off every workout at a pace that is ridiculously slower than I would ever start a normal workout. The reason why I'm doing this is because I'm hoping it will ensure I will have enough oxygen in the later stages of the workouts. Today during my warmup I even contemplated moving my tempo to Wednesday because my quads were still really sore since my tempo and long run from last week. In fact, I've been walking down the stairs sideways to avoid the soreness from the descent.

I didn't want to ditch the workout so I decided to just try to run hard and see how things progress. I also didn't look at my garmin, but did everything on feel. I think this method helped, but by the end of mile 4, I was panting like I had just run a 400m sprint all out. I cooled it down, but kept my cool down miles around 650, which is not common for me to do.

The hardest thing for me right now is to keep my head in the right mindset. It's not much fun going out to run when you feel like crap practically every time. I'm really testing my mental strength and tenacity, which should help me prepare for the Trials race.

Week in Review

2011-11-20T10:16:00.000-05:00

86 Miles
19+ Mile Long Run
2 Doubles
3 Trips to the Chiro
2 Dance Lessons
3 Runs with Jordan and Meagan

After two weeks of 55 Miles, I am pleased to say that I ran 86 miles, which would tie for my highest ever mileage. It was actually quite easy to hit this mileage since I was with Jordan and Meagan for the weekend and I could have easily put the mileage at 90 if I had joined the Kinlos for a double on Friday evening. Not surprisingly, we were in bed before 11pm on both Friday and Saturday nights. I'm not embarassed to mention this because it's acceptable to go to bed early if you have low iron. Admittedly, this isn't even an acceptable excuse for my early bedtime because even when the iron is normal, I go to bed before 10.

On Saturday, Jordan drove us to Providence where I was the stranger who attended the engagement party for one of Jordan's college teammates. The party was pretty fun and I enjoyed learning more about Jordan's college days from his former teammates. I also ate a piece of a giant red veltet cupcake that was absolutely delicious. Fortunately for me, Meagan started to get really tired around 10PM and we both snuck upstairs to fall asleep before the party began to get really crazy.

On Sunday, Kim ran with us for 43 minutes before calling it day and left Jordan to lead the way. We ran through the Brown campus and downtown Providence. I didn't tell Jordan this, but Wake Forest's campus is much prettier than Brown's campus. Brown is an urban campus filled with busy asphalt streets whereas Wake Forest is a landscaper's dream filled with finely manicured bushes and colorful flower beds. I still would go to Brown if I got in for grad school, though. Anyways, the long run was practically unbearable and Meagan and I couldn't wait for the run to be over pretty much the entire time we were running. To make matters worse, we ended a little bit early so we had to add on close to Kim's house. Needless to say, I'm glad I was able to log over 35 miles with Meagan this weekend.

Next week I'm going to continue to push my oxygen stores to their limit by running some more workouts. They probably won't go as well as I would hope, but they'll keep me feeling fit once everything gets back in order. I will spend Thanksgiving in Greenville, NC and will have Garrett to bike with me for most of my runs. This week will be about enjoying time with family and filling my belly with food so that I can run it off in my training for the Trials!

Marblehead Tempo Test

2011-11-18T18:28:00.002-05:00

Goal:
50 Min Progression from 6:30-600 pace

Actual:
3.3 mile warmup
8 mile tempo at 610 pace
2.5 mile cool down for 13.8 miles total

I had so much fun in Marblehead with Meagan and Jordan that I didn't take the time to update my blog when I was there. It was a blast to reunite with the Kinlo's in New England for three days and get in some solid runs. Meagan is very fortunate that she has Jordan to run along with because he's always been the best pacemaker. Anyone that is heading to the Boston Marathon needs to take the extra drive to say hello and see their beautiful home that overlooks a sound and Fort Sewall.

Fortunately for me, Jordan and Meagan bost recapped the workout on their blog. Since I'm still struggling a bit with the lack-of-iron thing, I completed 1.5 laps of glory with Meagan before beginning to feel like absolute crap. Jordan came back to run with me for about .75 miles before running the third lap with Meagan to finish it out. For the last 3 miles I was alone, but I battled through my physical deficiencies and mental barriers to finish a strong 8 mile tempo, considering everything. In fact, I ran faster than I had originally intended, which is always a step in the right direction. My breathing was too labored and my legs felt too heavy, but I will get to the point where I feel like normal again.

After the workout, we cooled down on a bike path back to Marblehead before beginning a stretching session in the Kinlo dining room. All in all, it was definitely the right decision to come visit.

12x1 Min

2011-11-15T13:45:00.001-05:00

Goal:
12x1 Min On/Off

Actual:
4.1 mile warmup
12x1 min on and off
3.5 mile cool down for 11 miles total

This was just a simple workout back to get the legs moving for the first time in ten days since the debacle at the Savannah Half. Knowing that my iron levels were low, I went into this workout with Matt, Caleb and my trusty Garmin, hoping to think as little as possible. The plan was to get in a 4+ mile warmup and then to complete the minuters whenever my Garmin beeped at me, without a concern for the pace. I wanted to walk away from this work out feeling confident and strong. Granted, I only put in 12 minutes of hard work, but this was enough to get the blood flowing. Caleb and Matt were great partners as we pushed each other to run the fastest splits of the day on the last three intervals. These types of workouts are the best because the focus is not on pace, but on effort. This will be important until my iron levels reach an acceptable level as it affects what I'm capable of running.

Week in Review

2011-11-13T20:16:00.004-05:00

54 miles
6 Days of Running
18 Mile Long Run
45 Minutes of Thunder Road biking
1 Group Dance Lesson
4 Days of Abs
2 Chiropractor Adjustments

Welp - there you go. I ran 55 miles this week and 55 miles last week. Two down weeks, along with the help of the iron supplementation I've begun (as well as other adjustments made to things of a female matter) should help my iron stores replenish! My goal is to keep my long runs strong, to maintain my steady state long runs, and to maintain a calm confidence that everything will fall into place on January 14th, 2012.

This next week I will ramp my mileage back up to the normal digits of 75-80 and try my first workout back since Savannah. I will also enjoy 3 glorious days with Meagan, Weezy, and Jordan in Marblehead, MA.

The Answer: Iron Depletion!

2011-11-09T12:28:00.001-05:00

For those of you who don't know, I've struggled with maintaining an adequate iron level for my entire running career. In fact, I first found out about the effects of low iron on running during my sophomore year of high school, where I struggled to run faster than 6:30 pace in races. I couldn't breathe when going up hills and I was gasping for oxygen if the pace ever got fast. The first doctor I saw diagnosed me with exercise induced asthma. After the inhaler didn't work, we saw another medical professional who found out that I had a ferritin level of 3, which almost required hospitalization for an iron infusion.

If you don't anything about iron, I'll give you a quick lesson. Iron has two essential components: hemoglobin and ferritin. Hemoglobin carries oxygen to your blood. Ferritin helps the body store and transport iron. Without iron, it feels like all the energy has been zapped from your body. Taken from one source: "In athletes, Iron Deficiency Anemia can lead to dramatic and measurable decrease in athletic performance, work capacity, reduced VO2max—and this effect is reversed when iron supplements are taken."

I struggle with maintaining a reasonable ferritin level. Some people may say it's because I'm a vegetarian, but I don't believe that eating meat will magically increase my iron levels. After all, I was able to get my iron level to a 53 in March of this year, which is the best level I've ever had. I clearly didn't start eating meat for the first time in 25 years during that time. Instead, I started eating more leafy greens and beans.

I have such a history with iron depletion that I have maintained an excel spreadsheet to track my levels since 2004 (see picture below). The general ferritin level that female athletes strive for is above 20, and this is still on the lower end of the spectrum. The average ferritin level I've had since 2004 is just 17.95. My current level is a 5. For me, I feel like magic if I'm above 15. I also know that whenever I get below 10, I will experience the fatigue that is associated with iron depletion. The results of low ferritin levels for runners are significant and I've experienced them too often for my own taste. Symptoms? Abnormal exhaustion, increased blood lactate, slow recovery, declining performances, heavy legs, muscular tightness, loss of motivation, and substantially increased risk of injury.

The good news is that all I have to do is increase my iron supplement (fortunately I have a tough stomach and can take a lot) and focus on eating all the iron-rich vegetarian foods that I already know about: kale, lentils, black beans, dried apricots. After that, the iron level should jump up within 2-3 weeks. The key is to understand that I will probably need to adjust my target paces for most of my workouts. The best part is that the effort will still be there and should carryover once I start feeling better. When that happens, I should feel like I just got back to sea level from running at altitude! I also know that if I gradually ease into the pace, I usually can maintain a speedy clip.

Cheers to understanding iron depletion and for not being injured!

Breaking the Funk!

2011-11-09T10:43:00.000-05:00

So what's a better way to get out of a funk than to visit two of your best friends / former running partners / owners of your second favorite kitty? There isn't a better way!! That's right, I just booked a ticket to go to Boston for a quick weekend getaway to visit Meagan and Jordan! Well, it will be a quick trip if Boston isn't slammed with three feet of snow in the middle of November. I'll bring my work laptop just in case I get stuck in some unforeseen New England blizzard.

I'm trading a weekend with my boyfriend in Charlotte for a weekend with Meagan and Jordan in Marblehead. I'll pretend like I'm their surrogate child, tag along for runs, and eat at lots of yummy restaurants. I'm secretly hoping we'll play Scrabble!! Most importantly, Meagan I will reminisce about our glory days - like 13.1 Minneapolis and the Heart and Sole Women's 5 Miler.

Week in Review

2011-11-06T13:29:00.000-05:00

~55 miles
1 Double
1 DNF
2 Tired Legs

There's no point in reviewing the past 6 days of training, as the week was reduced to the DNF at Savannah and I already covered that yesterday. After consulting with Coach Mark Hadley, we both agree it's time for me to take a down week, which would postpone my marathon specific training until next week. The focus for now will be to run as many (or as few) miles as my body deems necessary. Leaving tempos and intervals out of the picture for 10+ days should be the remedy for my tired, sore legs.

Looking ahead to next week, I will be volunteering at the Thunder Road Marathon expo on Thursday and Friday for the Charlotte Running Club and also participating as a course monitor during the actual race on Saturday. Garrett comes back into town on Friday, and we're going out to the Ballantyne Resort for my co-worker's adoption agency's party. This weekend is going to be a blast cheering on all the different racers in our hometown marathon and I can't wait for it to be here already!

Savannah: The DNF

2011-11-05T16:07:00.000-04:00

Goal:
13.1 @ 555-5:50 pace (~1:17:xx)

Actual:
5:41, 5:56, 5:56, 6:20, 6:06, 6:16, 6:33, 6:28, DNF

First, let's just put it right out there. I didn't finish the Rock 'n Roll Savannah Half Marathon. Physically I am overtrained but emotionally I am pretty stable. I'm not injured, but I'm not 100% healthy. Mentally, I learned some valuable lessons that I can take with me to Houston. On the bright side, I got to watch John (1:08:40), Pezz (1:14:32), and Alana (1:16:58) finish superb half marathons, all in blazing fast times, as a result of my DNF.

So, the race. I woke up at 5:30am and did all my typical pre-race rituals, warmed up with John for an easy two miles, and changed into my Nike racing flats. I did a couple of strides and could tell my legs were still tired. I rationalized that I've gone into so many races where my legs were tired and performed fabulously, so tired legs wouldn't be an issue. After some strides on the start line, I wished Pezz and Alana good luck and waited for the instructions for the start.

There was a stereo blaring "I LOVE ROCK N ROLL" and then the gun went off. There were no start instructions so no one knew the gun was supposed to go off then. I looked around to assess the situation and tentatively placed my foot over the start line, hoping I wouldn't get disqualified for a false start. Apparently, the gun shot during the Joan Jett song was meant to signal the start, and the mass of 40,000 people began the race.

Alana caught up to me after 100 meters and said "That was the worst start ever!" or something like that. I laughed. Pezz and Alana took off, I glanced at my Garmin's estimated pace and saw 5:30 and immediately backed off. They were about 5-10 seconds ahead of me through the mile mark. I came through miles 2 and 3 in 5:56 and could still see Alana the same distance ahead of me. At that point I felt fairly confident that I would catch back up to Alana and that we would work together for the rest of the race.

To be honest, I don't know what changed between mile 3 and 4. I went from running 5:56 to 6:20 pace. My breathing was fine. My legs felt like they were made of clay and my form crumbled. My jaw was clenched and my forehead was creased. My muscles were clenching in areas that needed to be relaxed. I saw Eric shortly after mile 3 and he told me that I looked great. I knew that he was lying and that really I looked like total crap.

Between miles 4-6, I got passed by marathoners who were hoping to run my goal time for the Trials. My legs continued to deteriorate and my gait was altered as my left hip felt like it was locking up slowly. My IT Band and hamstring were tight, but not painful. I wanted to drop at mile 5, but I didn't know where I was in relation to downtown, so I figured I would wait until i got closer to the city. Around mile 7 (?) Chris Lamperski passed me and asked if I was okay and told me that I was limping. I knew that limping 5 more miles to finish a half marathon could very well impact my plans of toeing the start line at the Olympic Trials in just 10 weeks and I didn't want to take that risk. I passed through mile 8, where Jennifer Hadley waited to cheer me on before running to the finish to catch Alana, before passing through the crowd of people and casually jogging onto the sidewalk where the crowd had thinned out. I put my leg up and stretched my hip, IT Band, and hamstring. I asked for directions to the finish and began my trek. On my trek, I felt like a failure and was embarrassed that I got an elite entry and just threw it to waste by not finishing the race.

It's ironic that I dropped out because I'm actually against it in principle unless you're (1) unconscious or (2) on the way to injury. In some ways, by dropping out, I went against one of my own values. After all, I don't know for certain if I was on the road to injury. Sure, I've had some IT Band tightness over the course of the past two weeks. Yes, I've had to scrap a couple of workouts or end them prematurely. But my knee isn't in any pain like it was in January, so is it an injury? In the end, my body is just tired and I knew that the toll of putting my body and mind through another five grueling miles really wouldn't be the best for the big goal in January.

I need a small allotment of time to assess positive and negative from this weekend and then move forward. Then the key is to re-evaluate what I want to do over the course of the next 10 weeks. There are so many more important things in my life than to dwindle on a race that didn't go quite the way I wanted. With that, I'm putting on my happy face, and focusing on rejuvenating my mind, body, and spirit with a calm confidence that everything will fall into place.

Week in Review

2011-10-30T16:19:00.001-04:00

82.5 Miles
2 Doubles
1 Weightlifting Session
1 Dance Lesson
17.4 Mile Long Run

Even though I felt like absolutely garbage on all but one of my runs this week, I know that I am still building my strength and endurance. I may have struggled to run a quick pace in workouts, but at least I was able to maintain my target weekly mileage and to get in a solid long run. Most importantly, I'm focusing on the mental preparedness that will be necessary to perform well at the Trials. After all, running a marathon is fun, yet challenging. It is easy to get discouraged or to lose focus over the course of 26.2 miles. Right now I'm going through a patch of training where it is easy to get discouraged. This rough patch will serve as a good thing because it will only help me to prepare mentally and make me tougher for the big day. If I can keep my head afloat during a week when layoffs loom in the near future, when work outs don't get fully completed, and when I have commitments after work every single night, then I bet I can handle a marathon with the top USA talent. It's all about the journey and what I do to get there. Despite the sub-par workouts, this week has already made me tougher.

2nd Workout Fail of the Week

2011-10-29T16:09:00.000-04:00

Goal:
5x1 mile at 526-531 with 2:30 rest

Actual:
2.7 mile warmup

1 mile in 5:50 (2:30 rest)
1 mile in 5:50 (2:00 rest)
10x1 min on/off for 3.1 miles

2.6 mile cool down

This marks my second workout this week that was difficult for me to complete. I guess either I could have finished the mile repeats at 5:50 pace (my goal half marathon pace in just eight days) or I could just do minuters. I decided on the minuters because I knew that I wouldn't be able to focus on pace. Instead, I was forced to focus on the effort and my stride. Mentally, this was the right decision as I came out feeling really strong and fresh on the Dilworth 2 Mile Speed Loop.

David joined me for this workout and he absolutely rocked it. It was nice to have his company and I tried to jump in on my minuters when he was finishing so I could provide him that extra motivation on Worthington Road. Like I stated after my workout on Wednesday, I know that my body is just tired, but that soon it will come out of its funk. Fortunately my IT Band tightness has gone away. I've been taking dance lessons with Garrett and I truly believe that moving my legs in different directions is stregthening the muscles in my legs that are not used while running, but that will benefit my own running!

I've got a long run on Sunday that I plan to run at the American Tobacco Trail in Raleigh. I have a feeling that it's going to go well.

My So-Called Tempo

2011-10-26T12:41:00.000-04:00

Goal:
5 Miles at 545-550 Pace (Adjusted to 550-555 for McAlpine surface)

Actual:
2.5 Mile warmup

5:51
5:58
6:13
(~4 min rest?)
5:45 pace for next 1.25 mile

2.3 mile cool down

This workout joins the other 3-4 on the list titled "Bad Workouts of the Month." Even though it can be added to that list, I actually feel pretty good about it, considering everything. Like every passionate runner, I did some analysis of my running ever since the Minneapolis 13.1 race on August 21, 2011. I haven't taken a day off from running in over 10 weeks and I've been hitting mileage between 75-85 on all non-race weeks. My IT Band got tight a week ago, but I went into major pre-hab mode to take the necessary "pre-cautions" that I should have been doing ten months ago.

Clearly, my body is pretty tired.

Fortunately though, my mind feels fresh, excited, and alive. Now, if I wasn't having fun and I felt tired mentally, then clearly I would be freaking out right now, but it's the exact opposite. Sometimes your body will not cooperate with what your mind wants it to do, and you have to take a step back and adjust accordingly to what your body needs. That's how I'm looking at these last few weeks of training before I really start to ramp things up with marathon specific workouts. I am taking the week before Savannah Rock 'n Roll Half very easy since this will be my last weekly mileage below 75 miles until after the Trials.

With all that being said, there isn't much to report on my tempo except that I felt tired from the get-go. Meagan and I came through at a perfect 5:51 pace, but I felt like my feet were slogging through mud. By mile 2, we had picked up Pezz and I had already dropped back a few strides behind them. By mile 3, I wasn't even hitting marathon pace, so I slowed down to 7-min pace. Then I came out to the lake, and suddenly I felt re-energized and decided to try to run the last 1.25 miles with Meagan and Pezz. I took the lead and could tell they were both hurting, so I took it upon myself to take some of the work off their shoulders and to relax behind my lead. Somehow I was able to finish a lot stronger than I had expected. Clearly, it wasn't anything mind blowing since I had just taken a 4 minute jog rest, but I still pushed myself when my body wasn't exactly cooperating.

Week in Review

2011-10-23T13:17:00.000-04:00

~85 Miles
2 Doubles
1 Lifting Sess
1 Failed Workout
15 Mile Steady State Run @ 6:28 Ave

After going into this week excited with the prospect of nailing two solid workouts, my mind ended in a roller coaster. On Tuesday morning, my IT band felt tight and I bailed on my 1000m repeat workout. I immediately began doing my rubber band exercises every other day and got a massage. My legs were garbage by the time Friday rolled around, and I couldn't barely sustain 6:20 pace for 6 miles. My excitement from earlier in the week was hampered by the disappointment and the fact that I was struggling. The worst part was that I did not know why I was struggling physically. All I could do was focus on the emotional side and keep my head above water, holding myself strong with a confidence that everything would eventually go back to normal. I could only hope that my Sunday long run would be the light at the end of the tunnel. Sure enough, it was.

Since I lifted on Friday evening, my legs were a little sore from that, but I knew that I could run 15 miles at 630 pace with Alana on Sunday morning. Alana and I did just that. Toward the end, it was a little bit more difficult to talk and breathe at the same time, but we still managed a couple snippets of conversation here and there. I threw down my fastest split during 14th mile, as I said farewell to Alana and kept on going to the 2 mile marker before turning around and stopping at the .5 mark. I stopped, stretched a little, before jogging a half mile as a feeble attempt at a cool down; my legs were stiff!

In the end, the most important learning lesson this week is to keep up the lifting routine. I'm doing abs every other day (3-4x/week) and lifting 2-3 times, using a program that Mark Kane created for me back in January. The best part is that Garrett gets back next Tuesday and will act as my personal trainer to tell me what I'm doing wrong and right. I tend to only have tendon issues as I've never had a stress fracture in my life. The important thing it to keep my glutes and hips strong so my IT doesn't have to do any more work than it's already doing!

Being Smart

2011-10-18T13:50:00.002-04:00

Goal:

8x1000m at 320-324 with 2 min jog rest

Actual:

11.3 Easy miles

Typically I wouldn't post about a workout that I bailed on. However, I think it's an important reminder that sometimes you have to make the right decision for the long term.

Today I woke up at 510AM and it felt like any other workout day as I went through my regular routines. Once I got out onto the roads, I noticed that my left IT Band was much tighter than usual. Immediately memories from January resurfaced:

Limping down Dilworth Road East, waiting for Jordan to come pick me up in his car since my IT Band was pulling so much on my knee that I couldn't even walk, let alone run.
Spending my entire FSA allotment for the year in just the month of January on physical therapy
Icing my bruised leg from "scraping" treatment

Given my history with IT Band, I knew it would be dumb to start this work out, even though I had recruited a solid group of four guys to do this (Stephen, David, Eric, and Billy). I know that speed can aggravate the IT, so I opted for an easy run around Dilworth. Carolyn and Dalena ran by just as I made this critical decision, so I was able to log miles with them.

While the last thing I want right now is to miss a work out, I would rather miss it now than in December. I don't want to have a sporadic month of training due to IT Band issues, so I am being smart in October. I will continue my band exercises three times a week and begin my lifting regime twice a week. I've been slacking on the little things, which could lead to bigger, badder things further down the line. I'm confident that I'll be good to go with the right focus on the pre-hab activities. On the plus side, I am not in any pain!

Week in Review

2011-10-16T15:04:00.000-04:00

~79 Miles
2 Doubles
1 400m workout
19 Mile Long Run at 719 pace
2 days at Wake Forest

This week was fairly uneventful from a running perspective since I ran easy every day until Friday, when I did a 16x400m workout with Liz, Thomas, and David. Liz is in town visiting from Boston for Wake Forest homecoming weekend. After successfully completing 16x400m repeats at 73-77, Liz and I stalked old friends on Facebook, went to Lululemon, and ate froyo at Menchie's.

On Saturday afternoon, Liz and I arrived at Wake Forest and reunited with a lot of the former Wake Forest runners. I should note that even though it was Homecoming at Wake Forest, I didn't go to the Wake Forest v. Virginia Tech football game, nor did I take a single sip of alcohol. Mostly I enjoyed catching up with my friends who are either in med school, getting their masters in epidemiology, or a phD in History. Out of this group, I feel like an undereducated fool, but it's okay. Maybe I'll join them with a higher degree later.

In the end, I did log some long miles at my old stomping ground, Salem Lake, with two of my former teammates and assistant coach. I enjoyed running a slightly lower mileage week with a solid long run. Next week I'm on track to run 85 miles to continue my preparation for Rock n Roll Savannah Half Marathon.

Week in Review

2011-10-11T11:04:00.000-04:00

69 Miles
1 Double
1 Workout
10 Mile Race in 58:33

After missing some key miles early on the week and then missing my warmup for the race, I still was able to fall within my target mileage for the week. I definitely wanted to run 75-80 miles this week but I know that I only have two more "down" weeks before the Trials, so it's critical for me to take advantage of them now.

Overall, this was a great week. I achieved a new 10 Mile Road PR and enjoyed lots of quality time with close friends in DC. My ten mile PR confirms that Mark Hadley's training program is a good fit for me. In 2009, before I was coached by Mark, I ran 1:00:50 on the same course. Two years later, I ran 58:33, almost 90 seconds faster, with a cold! I trust that as I continue to increase my mileage each year I will continue to see improvement. This race also gave me the confidence I need going into the Trials. Now I know that running in the high 230s is a realistic goal for me.

On a personal level, it was definitely bittersweet to run a race with Meagan as I knew it would be the last one together for a while. It is hard for me to admit that she and Jordan have left Charlotte, and I really won't accept that fact until after their final visit in late October. In the end, I am really happy for them and am excited to visit them next year when it's not freezing outside.

Army Ten Miler Recap

2011-10-09T21:20:00.003-04:00

Goal:
10 Mile PR...58:5x something

Actual:
~1 mile warmup
10 mile race in 58:33
Mile Splits: 551, 551, 551, 548, 554, 555, 553, 549, 553, 543
Half Splits: 29:18, 29:15
10k Split: 36:28
Results
~3 mile cool down

I guess you could call this race a success, not just because of my PR, but because of the PRs that both Meagan and Boriana achieved, after an adventure that included plenty of time in the metro underground and little time warming up above ground.

The night before, Meagan and I had spent an ample amount of time strategizing over our meeting places and the best modes of transportation. After consulting her friend Jilane, a three-year resident of DC and therefore an expert, we determined it was best to ride the Metro. Further affirming our decision was the Army Ten Miler packet itself, which proclaimed confidently, "The recommended option for transportation is the metro. Additional lines will be run to accommodate the racers." Everything seemed like it would work out flawlessly: Boriana and I would meet at the Rosslyn Metro, go two stops away and get off in the Pentagon Station, where we would meet Meagan. Little did we know that our plan would immediately be trampled by the crowd of people stuffed below ground in Northern Virginia.

So, what really happened? Well, Garrett and I met Boriana at the metro at 630AM and when we reached the platform, it looked like this, but fill the empty spaces with more and more people until you can't see the concrete:

When a train finally arrived, we didn't make the cut to get onto the first train. When the second train arrived, we all fit in and I checked my watch: 6:50AM. We still had plenty of time to get to the Elite Tent in time for a full warmup. Life was good, except for being packed in like sardines with several hundred other runners who were complete strangers to me. I was relatively calm. After 5 minutes, the train began to slow and I glanced through my neighbor's smelly armpit to look out the window, expecting to see the Pentagon platform. Just darkness. The operator came on and told us that the train ahead of us was experiencing technical difficulties. Great.

After about 15 minutes, we finally were able to get off our train. Turns out the "technical difficulties" for the train ahead weren't even "technical difficulties." It was more an overcrowding difficulties thing. Once we got off the train, we couldn't even leave the platform because the three thousand people ahead of us still had to put their metro pass through the gate exit. While the three of us struggled to get up the escalator, I texted with Meagan to see how her metro experience was going. She experienced her own adventure, which I'm sure she'll document on her blog soon. In the meantime, eventually we finally made it back out to the real world...around 7:20AM.

Just when you thought we had solved all our problems, we hadn't. Next we had to go through a bag check and then figure out how the heck to get to the Elite Tent. I threw all my stuff into Garrett's arms and told him I'd see him after the race and sprinted off with Boriana and Meagan to find the North Parking Lot. We ran lopsided through crowds of thousands of people, shoved innocent bystanders out of the way, and cut people in the bag check line to finally jump on the road to the tent. We made it to the ten by 7:35AM and immediately jumped in the bathroom line. We made it!

Immediately we all resolved that our quick jog to the Elite tent would have to qualify as our "warmup." I was pissed that I couldn't do my normal work out routine, but I rationalized that I didn't warmup for Twin Cities Marathon and was still able to run strong. I would be fine.

Just when I thought things were beginning to be like normal race day, I couldn't find Meagan in the start line, which looked like this:

The Uber-Crowded Start

She had scattered off to make a last minute bathroom stop at some random porta-john. I looked around and then suddenly I heard my name. Meagan somehow found me and squeezed her way through huge army dudes to stand next to me. Then we waited for five minutes, packed in like sardines for the second time that day, in anticipation for the start cannon.

Now that I've already written way too much information about our initial adventure, the race just doesn't even seem that exciting in comparison.

Essentially, Meagan and I made the most of our last 2011 race together and ran together for as long as we could. In the first mile, we let the lead pack of women sprint ahead of us. We both figured they would fall back to us, but in the end, they didn't.

My breathing in the first mile was much heavier than normal, most likely due to the cold and congestion I had, and I was a little worried about my race. I figured it would pass and decided instead to say good job to the wounded warriors were passing. Running past a solder who has lost a leg in combat definitely put my own running into perspective. I made a mental note to be grateful for every day that I have the opportunity to go outside and just run.

Meagan and I stuck together through 6 miles, even though Meagan fall off a little bit before the 5-mile mark, she caught back up and said "I'm back" with the energy of a little kid on Christmas. I wanted to ask if we should hold hands through the finish line, but instead I decided to push the pace.

When we ran through the Mall, I was so grateful for all of the crowd support (including Brian, Jordan and Jilane) and especially for the slew of men that were around me that served as motivation to run faster. It seemed like after each guy I passed, there was another one right ahead to keep my eyes on. I realized around mile 7 how much I truly do thrive off of competition. I also couldn't help but think about how much fun it was to pass all these people!

Around mile 8, the Grim Reaper stood holding a sign that read: "The End is Near." I hated and loved this guy.

I finished with my fastest split of the day and with a total time of 58:33. I was happy and tired. I turned around to see where Meagan ended up and she was really close behind. She came in 10th with a time of 58:55. She had definitely surpassed her own expectations for her race, and we both helped the other to run smart and fast!

At the finish line

Garrett found us and showed us the way to the Elite tent before heading off to go get 30 free samples of Muscle Milk and Detour bars. He was in heaven.

Boriana showed up a couple minutes later, with a new PR of 1:04:xx! Before we all parted ways to cool down, we were able to capture a picture of the three CRC women who PR'd! Shortly after this picture was taken, Boriana took off with Julie, Garrett ran off to get even more free stuff, and Meagan and I cooled down on the interstate back to Rosslyn.

We definitely made the most of our situation today and I am proud of us for remaining relatively calm while it seemed like everything was going completely wrong. Now I feel like if something unexpected happens at the Olympic Trials, I will be prepared to handle it. That's the spirit....

PS Many thanks to Boriana for being the best hostess ever to Garrett and I over the weekend!!

In the elite tent with Meagan & Boriana

Farewell Workout

2011-10-05T17:09:00.000-04:00

Goal:
3 mile tempo at 555-605, then 3x400m at 75-77

Actual:
4.5 mile warmup
3 mile tempo at 554, 545, 543 for 17:22 total, 5 min rest, 75, 73, 73
2 mile cool down

It seems like it was yesterday when Pezz, Meagan and I all toed the line at the USA Club Cross Country Championships, sporting the CRC logo on our shirts. Now, less than one year later, I am the lone wolf who still calls Charlotte home. Pezz relocated to Flagstaff, AZ to pursue a professional running career early this year while Meagan and Jordan are off to continue doing big things for Craft/Karhu. In the meantime, I am soaking up as much time as I can with these people since time is not on my side.

I met Meagan and Jordan halfway in Freedom Park and together we ran to the Dilworth Speed Loop to meet Pezz. Jordan was tagging along to give us some company and to keep our chatter in check. We went out for the first 800m, chatting away like it's no big deal, completely not hitting our target pace, and then Jordan huffed and puffed his way to front, saying "We're slow." This is why Jordan rocks. He doesn't like to mess around and immediately took over to keep the pace honest and the silence golden.

I felt like I was the only person breathing hard at the 1.5 mile mark and got a little self-conscious that maybe I was hurting a lot more than I should be. I waited it out and after the 2 mile mark came and went, I felt increasingly better and stronger with each step. We finished up well ahead of our planned pace, so I'm hoping this will make 5:55 pace feel that much easier this weekend in DC.

After a generous break, we started our 400 meter repeats. To be honest, they were really fun! It was exciting to get some speed back in the legs since I haven't done anything faster than 5:40 in a while.

Pezz continued to add on since she's kind of a big deal these days, being sponsored by Saucony and all. She's heading up to the USA 10k Champs in Boston this weekend while Meagan and I race at the Army Ten Miler with thousands of hot Army commanders. This will be my last race with Meagan until the Olympic Trials, but I am confident that we'll coordinate other races in 2012 to reunite at.

Week in Review

2011-10-02T12:47:00.001-04:00

86 miles
18 mile long run
2 workouts
3 doubles

I think this week is one of my highest mileage weeks ever. I am not 100 percent certain but I did hit over 85 somewhat unexpectedly since I ran an impromptu cool down with the wake forest girls after their meet at mcalpine on Friday. I am still feeling pretty good but know that it is critical to keep up the stretching and strength training. I head up to dc next weekend for the army ten miler so I am really looking forward to testing my fitness and all my hard work.

On a side note, I have been taking swing dance lessons with Garrett and it is definitely a form of cross training! It is tough and really taxing on my calves since I have to stay on my toes all the time. I am really enjoying all of the quality time I've been able to spend with Garrett over the course of this past week while he is here in charlotte!

3x3 Mile Repeats Success

2011-09-30T10:43:00.000-04:00

Goal:
3x3 miles at 18:00-18:15 with 3:00 rest

Actual:
2 miles warmup in 16 min

3x3 mile on McAlpine 5k course (skip the hill) at:
18:07 - 608, 610, 549 (short 3rd mile) (3:40 rest)
18:14 - 602, 610, 602 (accurate 3rd mile) (3:50 rest)
17:54 - 558, 601, 554

2 mile cooldown for 13 miles total

I have been really delinquent on my blog posts. I think this has to do with a combination of things:
1) My boyfriend is in town and I've been spending a lot of quality time with him to make up for the 7 months that he was gone
2) I have had the CRC Newsletter to edit and publish, and it takes at least 10-15 hours to finish.
3) Work is busy!

That being said, I am finally getting around to posting about my latest workout, which was definitely a success.

David, Eric, and I decided to meet at McAlpine at 645AM for a 2 mile warmup before we began the dreaded 3x3 mile workout. This workout requires so much mental preparation, it is exhausting! We decided to skip the McAlpine hill and added on an extra loop around the pond. Of course, we were wearing our Garmins, but it just so happened that we still hit all the markers, but just 400m off. We did have to add on near the finish since the third mile is already short. The first one was a little short, so it's more likely that we ran about 18:14 for that first one. However, after that interval, we added on to make it a full 3 miles.

I felt pretty good on the first one and there isn't much to report from that perspective. On the second one, my legs started to feel a bit fatigued in the last 1200 meters, but we all stuck together so the motivation to hang with the boys kept me alive.

On the third one, I could tell that David was holding back and, sure enough, after 1.5 miles, he took off to run sub-5:45s and I stayed back, thinking that I was dying. I checked my watch at the next split and turns out I was running faster than I had on all the other repeats! For the final mile, I focused on keeping my body tall and my thoughts positive. It was definitely difficult as I watched the guys pull away from me, but it's days like this that help prepare me in a race, if the group I'm hanging with pulls away from me.

After we finished the workout, we were all really pleased with how we had done and you could tell there was a feeling of amazement in the air with our accomplishment. I definitely liked doing this workout better at McAlpine than at the Booty Loop because it provides more diverse scenery and a more tactical course.

That morning I had terrible stomach cramps and couldn't even bring myself to eat for the first five hours afterwards. It was pretty awful, but this feeling is pretty standard every time I do this one. Also, this is the last time I ever have to do this workout in 2011, so that's always fun! Soon I'll just be doing 10 mile tempos instead.

4xMile Repeats

2011-09-27T10:32:00.000-04:00

Goal:
5xmile repeats with 2:30 rest at 5:28-5:33

Actual:

32 min warmup for 4 miles

546 (230)
538 (230)
543 (235)
538 (230)

2.75 miles cool down for 11 miles total

I headed out to do this workout in the evening, which a change in my normal schedule. Essentially I decided I didn't want to do this workout in the dark and recruited Matt to run with me. My legs are feeling the effects of 80+ miles from last week so I knew that it would be difficult for me to hit my target times, especially since I would be on the Dilworth Speed Loop instead of a track. For this route, we did the 2-mile speed loop, so miles 1 and 3 were on the same course and mile 2 and 4 were on the same course. Miles 1 and 3 were uphill and miles 2 and 4 were flat, with a slight downhill in the last 200 meters.

On the warmup, I felt terrible so I was actually quite pleased to run a sub 5:50 on the first one, especially with the uphill portion that characterizes the first half of the interval. Fortunately I was able to get my paces under 5:40 for the rest of the intervals and then I called it a day after 4. I've got the 3 mile repeats workout on Friday and I need to mentally prepare for that.

Garrett biked along with Matt and I. It was very helpful because Matt didn't do the last repeat with me and Garrett provided that extra motivation that I needed to maintain my speed. He could tell I was hurting and afterwards I told him, "I'm dead." and he replied, "I know....want some water?" That's what I call awesome.

Week in Review

2011-09-26T12:51:00.000-04:00

84 Miles
16 Mile Steady State Long Run
2 Doubles
2 Days of Abs
2 Workouts

With only 2 doubles and a shorter long run, I'm surprised I was able to hit 84 miles. It was a huge help to have Garrett bike alongside me for two of my runs this week as that provided the extra motivation I needed. I had fun with my easy runs this week and struggled through my workouts. I want to run 550-ish pace for my 10 mile race in less than 2 weeks and I am struggling to run that in a work out. However, I tend to race a lot better than I work out, so hopefully that will help propel me forward at the Army Ten Miler. I also had the stress of going back and forth via email between car dealers to seal the best deal for a new Honda Accord Ex-L. Using my negotiating skills, I was able to lower my selling price to below that of the invoice price, saving me at least $5,000-$6,000 and getting some extra add-ins. I've definitely learned how to play the car buying game but it was definitely exhausting! Really happy I met my mileage target and look forward to another week above 80 this coming week. I've got the dreaded 3 mile repeat workout, but to calm myself down, I'm thinking of it as a 9 mile tempo at 6:00-6:05 pace! That doesn't sound too bad at all!

5 Wave Tempo Attempt

2011-09-23T12:31:00.000-04:00

Goal:
5 Mile Tempo alternating 245-250 adnd 300-305 every 800 meters

actual:

3 miles warmup to 3 mile marker at mcalpine

5 miles tempo from Miles 3-4 and then back to old bell in the dark with the wet soil and only one head lamp
250 (fast)
309 (slow)
251 fast
258 slow
253 fast
307 slow
258 supposed to be fast
310 slow
258 supposed to be fast
250 supposed to be slow for 29:53 total

2 miles cool down for 10 miles total

So yeah, this work out is really hard. Or maybe it's just that mentally I didn't want to put into work into this today. It's been a killer of a week, but after this workout I decided on my drive home that I needed to let go of the noise that is stressing me out. This little mental exercise worked well because I went into work with a better attitude and with the belief that everything was going to be alright and get completed. I wish I had taken the time to calm my mind BEFORE the workout, but that's what learning is all about. In these next couple of months leading up to the Trials, I really need to focus on what's best for me and, as my college coach always said, "get a little bit more selfish." I don't mean this in a bad way, but it's really just another way of saying, stick to your own schedule and regime as to what works best for YOU. So - if I ditch you on a run to sleep in, it's probably because I'm recognizing my body needs that extra amount of sleep and I'm hoping it will mean I run one minute faster at the Trials. Kidding, but you see where I'm going.

So, back to this workout. We ran the entire tempo in the dark, with the exception of the last mile. The ground was soggy and soft, not conducive to running fast times. It was hot and muggy, but fortunately there was a break in the rain system that has been plagueing NC with its presence. It was difficult for me to hit the target times as I felt like I was aimlessly pounding my feet down onto invisible pavement and soft mud. After 3 miles, Spada and Billy took off and I was left to think about how miserable I felt and how I would never again do this workout at McAlpine. I know that I would have gone faster if I hadn't gotten pissed that I had chosen McAlpine after a rainy night. I need to focus on being mentally present during these work outs and to push through whatever physical pain I've dreamed up.

Looking forward to a weekend of relaxation and then a 16 mile steady state on Sunday morning.

1000m Repeats in Dilworth

2011-09-20T12:23:00.015-04:00

Goal:
8x1000m at 320-324 with 2 min rest

Actual:
21 min warmup for 2.7 miles

3:33 (200)
3:23 (202)
3:26 (158)
3:24 (201)
3:22 (200)
3:24 (1:57)
3:22 (201)
3:22

25 min cool down for 3.3 miles for 11.3 miles total

I'm busy catching up on my blog posts. It's been a rather crazy week as I am swamped at work, looking for a new car to buy as Redbird is dying on me, and spending time with Garrett.

This workout was early in the morning hours and we finished the 1000m repeats before the sun had even come up. There really isn't much to report here except that it was really humid and that I contemplated dropping out of the workout. I didn't want the boys to completely own me so I kept at it and finished the entire planned workout. It's always hardest to get past that mental barried of thinking that you can't do it, when in reality you can. It's all a matter of believing in yourself and tricking your mind into thinking that your body doesn't actually hurt nearly as much as it thinks.

It was nice to have Aaron around because he hung back with me for a couple when I really thought I was struggling, when in reality Spada and Billy were just having a great workout and I was still hitting my goal times. With such little rest and following my first weekly mileage of 80 miles, I'm glad I finished this workout within my target range of times. Next up I've got a 5 mile wave tempo on Friday.

Week in Review

2011-09-18T18:37:00.000-04:00

80.5 Miles
19 Mile Long run with 3 miles at 635 pace
5 Mile Tempo
2 Doubles
6 days in Illinois

Wahoo, I hit my mileage target for the week even though I was in my hometown, without my standard Charlotte running pals. I only ran two workouts this week, but felt great on practically every run so I feel like everything is really starting to fall into place. I guess I'll really put everything to the test when I'm at the Army Ten Miler in a couple of weeks with Meagan. After putting in hours on the computer for BofA, I would run in the afternoon either by myself or with the SIU girls. I had the honor of joining them for their long run and then adding on additional miles since I'm a marathoner and they are collegiate runners aiming for a 6k cross country race. I enjoyed my time visiting with my parents and Garrett. Garrett and I came back to Charlotte with six watermelons, a quart of peppers, a pint of tomatoes, and bags of homemade snacks courteous of my mom. All in all, life is good. Running is good. Family is great!

Tempo in a So Ill Monsoon

2011-09-14T22:35:00.000-04:00

Goal:

3x3 mile at 6-605 with 3 min rest

Actual

2.1 mile warmup in 15:32

5 mile tempo in 29:12 with splits of (5:51, 5:56, 5:50, 5:41, 5:53)

2 mile cool down in 15:43 for 9.1 miles total

You read that right. I was supposed to do the ever-time consuming workout of 3x3 miles solo in so ill (southern illinois). During my warmup, dark storm clouds rolled in and I figured I should cut the warmup short to allow myself time for the 3x3 mile before the rain started to come. Turns out the rain came much earlier...1 mile into the workout.

I did some quick thinking on my toes and picked up the pace to turn the workout into a tempo. I knew that I had some sort of 5 mile tempo next week or the week after and figured I could swap it out for next week when I have company and better weather. My legs actually were feeling pretty great as I sloshed through the rain puddles around SIUC Campus Lake. By the fourth mile, I was feeling fantastic. Lightning was striking above my head, water was dripping into my eyes, and snot kept shooting out of my nose as I tried to inhale air, but got water instead and then had to snort it back out. Regardless of all of this, I felt pretty awesome. I had no idea what was going to happen when I turned back towards the SIU arena.

I hadn't really noticed the wind yet, but then I turned north. Immediately rain was pelting my face sideways as the wind tried to push me backwards like a middle school bully. I thought of Forrest Gump when he described the different types of rain. This was definitely the sideways rain he talked about, combined with terrible wind. I went from feeling spectacular to feeling craptacular. I didn't even want to look at my mile split as I felt like it would disappoint me. Soon I crested a hill and saw that I had less than 400m left. I tried to give it my all, but the wind fought hard against my every attempt. I checked on my Weather Channel app later and saw that the wind was "N at 20-30 mph." Figures. Somehow I managed to still finish my last mile in my goal half marathon pace. Hopefully with good weather conditions I can run faster.

I finished the workout right near my car, but I still had to cool down. I was hoping to get in 3 miles so I could call it 10 for the day since I didn't double this morning. However, right after my Garmin beeped for the 2nd mile, the sky was cut in half with a scary lightning bolt that made my arm hairs stand up, followed immediately by a thunder rumble that practically made my car bounce. I figured that was God's way of telling me to go home and to stop worrying my parents. Turns out he was right. About the time that I started my tempo, my mother called me to leave a voicemail to tell me to come home. As if. I've got the Olympic Trials exactly 4 months from today. Tempos are the heart and soul of my training for the next months and I need to ensure I get them in.

While I understand that the weather conditions were far from awesome, I am really trying not to get down on myself for my tempo times. I just need to keep my head up and to keep putting in the work and the times will come. The next four months will be critical for me as I focus on getting my abs in three times a week, lifting in twice a week, and creating a consistent training schedule in terms of my doubles and workouts. Some changes are definitely being made, and it will most likely take my body a couple more weeks to adjust to the new schedule and way of doing things.

In other news, since I am working remotely from Illinois, it has been rather difficult to do morning runs because of the one-hour time difference combined with the 8:30AM start time I have to be "at work." Not to mention that the project I've been leading for the past 10 months is about to launch, which is really stressful. I also have to buy a new car in the month so lots of life things are happening right now. It's definitely a time where I need to focus on my inner calm to keep the stress level to a minimum. Good thing I'm at home where my parents cook me delicious meals!!!

Week in Review

2011-09-11T09:13:00.000-04:00

~78 Miles
14 Miles Long Run Steady State
2 Workouts
16+ Hours of Traveling in 36 Hours
3 Days in Illinois

Phew, am I tired after this week. Not because I ran some inordinate amount of mileage, but because of the travel that ensued in a trek to visit my family! On Friday, after a long layover in Atlanta, I finally arrived in St. Louis to be greeted by my parents and my boyfriend! We went to Whole Foods for dinner and then made our way from St. Louis, Missouri, to Normal, Illinois to visit my grandma. After four hours in the car, we finally arrived at 10PM. The next day, Garrett met my entire Dad's side of the family and fortunately he gained their approval. After that, we drove to Canton, Illinois to see my mom's sister. I passed where I ran the Illinois State Cross Country meet four years in a row, and I got such a strong sense of nostalgia. Oh, the glory days!

My legs were tired this week but I had the honor of running 8 miles with my 62 year old dad on Saturday. I cherish moments like these because I know his days of keeping up with me are limited, so I take advantage of his company when I can! I also got to run 14 miles at an average of 6:40 pace with the SIUC Cross Country Freshmen and Sophomores. I forgot to put on suncreen and now I'm ridiculously sunburnt. I hate when I'm so stupid I forget to put on sunscreen when I am running from 12:30-2PM in Illinois. I lead the way and took them from campus to the hilly back country roads. About halfway, we stopped at my parents' house to get some water and fresh watermelon juice! The guys loved that part of the run most.

For this next week, I'll be in Carbondale, working remotely from the SIU Coach's house while Garrett helps put a new roof on my parents' house. In case you're wondering, my parents live outside of town so they can't get cable or wireless internet....so I have to come to town to get that sort of luxury! I'll spend the next 6 days eating fresh food from my dad's garden, running with the SIU girls, and showing off Garrett to my hometown friends. Although I'm still working, I already feel like I'm relaxed! It is quite possibly because I don't really have to cook my own food and it's certainly nice.

In terms of running, I'm doing a fartlek on Tuesday with the SIU girls and then on Friday I'm doing the 3x3 mile workout around the SIU campus lake. That should be a tough one, but at least the campus lake is flat!

5 Mile Tempo Fail Of Sorts

2011-09-08T20:40:00.000-04:00

Goal:
5 mile tempo at 545-500 pace

Actual:
3.1 mile warmup
4 mile tempo in 24:00 with splits of 600, 557, 600, 603
3.5 mile cool down

Early morning tempo runs in the darkness at McAlpine are one of my all time favorite things to do. Not.

I typically really enjoy these sorts of runs, but after four hard workouts in six days, my body rejected the idea of doing a tempo. In fact, my body threw the tempo right back into my face, completely repulsed by the idea of running fast. The McAlpine trails owned me. The boys owned me. Heck, a deer probably owned me.

Not much to report here except that Spada took charge of this workout, which I gratefully accepted because I didn't feel like doing all the work. I tried to react to his move after the first mile but instead found myself slipping back to Eric and David. By the turn around, I was certain that it would only be a matter of time until the entire group passed me up. All the guys finished the entire tempo, but I couldn't muster it within myself to run past the four mile mark. Instead, I stopped, walked a bit, and then ran to the next 400m mark. I stopped, walked a bit again, and ran to the next 400m mark. Then I decided it was time to just run slow and let go of my crappy workout. I should note that all the guys absolutely awesome. They are my training partners for a reason!

I'm ready to be off to Illinois and to get back to my normal training routine of workouts on Tuesdays and Fridays with a long run on Sunday. Mark and I met today to discuss my training plan and we both agree that consistency is the key, even down to the minute details like which days you work out on and which days you double on. I don't have other real crazy social obligations over the next four months, so I think I'm all set to go! Head up and feet forward, tomorrow is a new day!

Week in Review

2011-09-04T14:44:00.000-04:00

78.5 Miles
2 Doubles
2 Workouts
17+ mile Long Run
No Abs

Marking my first real week in my new training plan, I feel like I started it on the right foot. I completed all of my planned workouts and long runs and also hit my target mileage for this week. Now I just need to keep things going so that when it comes time for the Army Ten Miler, I'll be able to show those Army boys what running with a girl is all about. Can't wait!

The theme of this week wasn't about running, however. It was about spending time with loved ones as we celebrated the marriage of Jay and Lauren! I had the honor to be one of Lauren's bridesmaids and I just wanted to make sure that I helped Lauren in any way that I could. Not sure if I really was any help, but I do hope that I gave her any sort of support and encouragement she needed on her big day.

Side Note: Lauren looked absolutely STUNNING in her Casablanca gown and was so perfectly photogenic. She had all the looks down - happy, sultry, serious, sexy - you name it and she pulled it out of her toolkit. She also happened to provide a very loving and comical toast that made all of the wedding guests chuckle at. I'm telling you...this woman is a jack of all trades and Jay is very lucky to have chosen her as his wife.

After the toasts, the food, and the cutting of the cake, people nearly trampled each other over in a mad rush to get into the photo booth room to make sure their memory snapshot was documented in their wedding day scrapbook. Somewhere during this time, I drank a couple of glasses wine enough to be deemed as a "train wreck" by Aaron. I wasn't the type of train wreck that crashes into things or people or falls off track. I was more like the train wreck who talks to too many people, compliments them too much, and dances so much I sweat so profusely that even Matt Jaskot says "caitlin, even your arm is wet." Yeah, that kind of train wreck. A happy one celebrating a happy communion between two close friends. I'm sure Jay is glad that I took full advantage of his wedding shenanigans. I know I am.

A big shout out to AJ for giving me a ride home!

Cake figurines!

Lauren, Caitlin and Jay

3x2 Mile at McAlpine

2011-09-02T10:38:00.002-04:00

Goal:
3x2 Mile at 545-600 Pace with 2:00 Jog Rest

Actual:
3.1 miles warmup in 23:40
11:44 (5:59, 5:45) (2:00 rest)
11:34 (5:47, 5:47) (2:15 rest)
11:34 (5:53, 5:41)
1.6 miles cool down in 13:20

Well this workout definitely went better than the last time I ran this back in June. As this was my most important run for this week, I really wanted to run within the specified times. With the company of Spada and David Willis, I was able to keep my head up and finish up strong despite finishing behind the boys. While I'm sure Spada appreciates the view of me from behind, he had nothing to look ahead towards as he finished "first" in this workout.

With Jay Holder back in town to get hitched, he joined a whole crew of us at McAlpine - Aaron, David, Carolyn, Mike Kahn, Spada, Billy, and more that I didn't see in the dark. At the 400m mark by Old Bell, we approached what appeared to be a dead body. Don't panic. It was just Billy Shue pulling a prank even though he has strep throat which he could have acquired from running the Warrior Dash...

We enjoyed a nice warmup to the 3 mile mark and then began our workout. The course would be to the 4 mile mark, out-and-back, for the first interval. Then we'd run onto the course and skip the hill for the 2nd. For the third, we ran around the lake and back to Old Bell so that someone could pull a Spada and jump immediately into his car. David originally had mile repeats but decided that running with Spada and I would be a lot cooler. Turns out he ran exceptionally well. Expect some fast times out of him this fall!

Spada likes to let me lead the way for most of these workouts during the beginning. Then about halfway through our workout, he bursts ahead and I get left in the dust. It actually is quite a good partnership because it motivates me not to fall apart and forces me to employ mental tactics. On the first one we were all together and it didn't feel easy.

The second one I lead the way until Spada made a move at 1 mile to make a sizable gap on me. I struggled to hang on but somehow still managed to finish with an even split.

The last split I really struggled in the first mile as Spada and David both pulled away from me in the first 400m. I was on the verge of crumbling apart, both mentally and physically, when I suddenly had a change of heart. What this really means is that I started cursing at myself and telling myself to stop feeling sorry for myself. I was able to finish my last mile as one of the fastest of the day which is always a good feeling, even if you feel like crap in the process.

The key takeaway from this work out is that I am very lucky to have people to run with, to be injury free for an extended period of time, and to have the opportunity to exercise in this beautiful weather. I really have no excuse to crumble apart mentally. Whenever I start feeling down or like I can't finish a workout, I need to remember these critical elements because they cannot be taken for granted. I need to savior each and every run leading up to the Trials because it's all about the journey!

In other news, Garrett's team was eliminated from the playoffs, so he'll be driving from upstate New York and all the way to Southern Illinois starting on Monday. I am flying home to see him and my extended family members for an entire 9 days while still working remotely for Bank of America. Assuming I did the math correctly in my head, that means there are only 7 days left until I see him! Ra-ra-ra!

8x1000m with 2:00 Rest

2011-08-30T12:25:00.001-04:00

Goal:
8x1000m at 3:21-3:25 with 2min jog

Actual:
2.5 mile warmup in 20:00 to Dilworth 800m Speed Loop
8x1000m at:
3:30 (1:55)
3:27 (1:59)
3:24 (1:58)
3:22 (1:57)
3:22 (2:00)
3:22 (2:01)
3:22 (2:05)
3:21
2.5 miles cool down in 20:00

With another early morning workout on tap, I woke up at 5:30AM from a peaceful slumber to get out the door on time to meet Stephen Spada and Lat Purser at the Dilworth Speed Loop. After 20 minutes of running, Spada was ready to get rolling so I gave up the extra five minutes of warmup that I wanted to get in to compromise with Spada's daddy schedule. After all, he drove all the way up from south Charlotte to join me in the workout, so it was the least I could do.

Lat decided to only do 5 intervals with us since he has a long bike ride tonight. It was great to have him join Stephen and I because he lead the way and took some weight off our shoulders. When we completed the first one, I thought it felt much faster than we actually ran, so it was a little disheartening to see my split. In fact, I had a brief moment of panic that I would have difficulty finishing up the rest of the 7 intervals, but I knew thinking like that would not help matters improve. So, I decided to just work with Stephen and use him to hold me accountable.

After the third interval, I finally began to get into the groove. I felt fairly smooth and relaxed and the fact that the sun wasn't up yet made the 1000 meters fly by since I couldn't see key landmarks that indicated my location. I didn't even bother catching my splits at the 400m or 800m marks and just ran on feel, basing my effort on where I was in relation to Spada. We really are a good team because we don't really talk much and just get the job done. We are just running, and just having that presence of a training partner is all that is needed to keep me motivated to keep pushing forward.

In the end, even though I felt really tired and exhausted at the conclusion, I'm pleased with this effort. I finished all 8 intervals that were on my schedule and ran within the goal time frame. However, I hope that when I revisit this workout again in a couple of months, I won't feel as rundown afterwards. I would like to see fitness gains in that my recovery time is reduced.

Week in Review

2011-08-28T21:53:00.000-04:00

~72 Miles
16 mile long run
2 Doubles
1 Wedding

Well, just one week after a half marathon PR in Minneapolis, I was able to still post a respectable mileage for this week, even with only a 5 mile run today! The first five days of the week, I trudged through runs and felt terrible on each one. I finally started to feel good again on Saturday as I enjoyed a long run with M-squared (Meagan and Megan). Sunday only got better as I ran around the Booty Loop with Jordan and Brad and felt great. I stopped after 5 miles and figured I would let myself get ready for next week. Next week I've got two solid workouts - 8x1000m and 3x2miles - and an 18 mile long run. To top it all off, my bestie in NYC is coming down for a wedding! Should be a fun-filled week as we celebrated Jay and Lauren's new life together!

400m Repeats

2011-08-24T21:40:00.010-04:00

Goal:
16x400m at 75-77 with 1:00 jog

Actual:
3 miles warmup
12x400m at 74-77 with 1:00 jog
3.2 miles cool down

This a fairly delayed post because it's been a pretty busy week with work and errands. I did this workout just two days after my 13.1 Minneapolis race, and my legs were not cooperating. I felt heavy and lethargic and could feel the lactic acid build up in my hamstrings after only 3 intervals. Fortunately I had the company of Thomas, David, and Aaron to pull me along. Had I been alone I probably would have walked right off the JCSU track and headed straight to the cemetery instead. To run slow, of course.

There really isn't much to report except that I was able to maintain a decent speed with little rest for 12 intervals. Mission accomplished, and time to move on to the long run for the weekend. Next time I'll probably just do minters as my first workout after a half marathon.

13.1 Minneapolis Race Recap

2011-08-22T15:43:00.001-04:00

Goal:

Go out relaxed, finish the strongest in the last 5k

Actual:

~2.5 miles warmup, strides, drills.

Race in 1:18:52

with splits of: 1- 607, 2 - 604, 3 - 600, 4 - 600, 5 - 549 (downhill), 6 - 606 (hilll), 7 - 603, 8 - 555, 9 - 602, 10- 602, 11 - 608 (hill), 12 - 559, 13 - 554, 38

4th place, Results

I think this is the first half marathon that did not own me. Let's take a look at my past two half marathons. I've always faded, and faded BAD, in the last four miles of the race. Take, for instance, the Half Marathon Champs this past January. I ran a couple of 6:11s and a few 6:14s in those last four miles. Even the half marathon in OBX 2009, I ran a 6:33 and a 6:20! The only half marathon that went well for me was the second half of my marathon at Twin Cities.

This brings me to my goal for 13.1 Minneapolis. I really just wanted to have fun and finish feeling pretty good about myself and I accomplished just that.

Going into this race, I really had not researched much about the race besides how to get to the hotel from the airport and the course map. I did not know how many people had registered or who my competition was. All I knew was that I was staying with Meagan (for free!) and that I would figure the rest out once I got to Minneapolis. I approached this race with a laid back attitude to help me keep the race plan in sights - to have fun!

With a sore shin, Meagan was out as my fellow comrade during this race, so I was left to compete on my own. Meagan was probably more bummed than me that she couldn't race, but it would have been very hard for her logistically to have made the race fit in since she has to set up at the event as well. Perhaps another time we'll toe the line together at a 13.1 Race to push each other to a nice half marathon PR...like at Miami in 2012 where the 13.1 Series Championship will be held.

With Meagan out the door to set up the Craft tent before 5AM, I eventually pulled myself out from under the covers and got myself race ready. With Body Glide and water bottle in my plastic race bag, I ran 3/4 of a mile to the start line. Feeling like a normal runner again, I waited in line for the rest room and to check my bag. The biggest perk of getting an elite entry typically is the private rest rooms, which wasn't necessary at this race because they had TONS of porta johns so the lines weren't bad at all.

Beforehand, Meagan had informed me that some Team USA Minnesota girls would be running, so I knew immediately that winning money was no longer a reality. Once the gun went off, I settled into my own rhythm as the pack of lead men took off immediately and a pack of 3 accomplished women including Katie McGregor and Michelle Frey follwed as the second lead pack. Within 800m, they already had a sizeable 50 meter gap on me, and they would continue to gradually pull away from me until mile 5, when I would no longer even see them.

Needless to say, it was definitely going to be a lonely one. To prove how lonely it was out there, you can examine the results. In the results, you'll notice that the closest person behind me was about 2 minutes back (1:20:45) and the closest person in front of me was about 90 seconds ahead (1:17:11). I am not counting the guy that I finally caught in the last mile of the race because he was only motivation for about 2 miles. Now, you might ask why I didn't try to run with the person who ran 1:17:11. Because she went out like a bat out of hell in the first five miles with that second pack of women! Not to mention that running with her would not have aligned to my race strategy, which was to go out at marathon pace.

Good thing I incorporated some mental tactics into this race to keep myself focused.

Through the first 5 miles, things were going great. I felt smooth, relaxed, strong. I really thought that I was going to run a 1:17:5x half marathon. Then a hill came in mile 6 and I started to become painfully aware of the fact that there was no one in front of me nor behind me and that there were practically no spectators on the course. After 5 miles, I decided not to look at my watch splits any more and to just focus on the overall time. Admittedly, I am a smart cookie sometimes was still able to determine when I was running 6 min pace and when I wasn't...but it helped mentally not knowing exactly what pace I had just hit.

I came through the 6 mile mark in 34:04 which is almost 6:00 pace - perfect. Through miles 7-10 I decided to really focus on running the shortest tangents as possible (side note - I did run them pretty good because my garmin had 13.15 for my distance!). I smiled at a group of little girls in a cheerleading uniform and waved. That resulted in a burst of giggles and screams - quite possibly the highlight of my race. The hardest part about this section was trying to make myself feel like I was competing. Really, I felt like I was just competing against myself. It felt like a tempo and that it was really all just up to me to keep the pace honest and strong. No one else was there to help or to motivate me; all the power was within me. Yes, this should always be the case, but it's much easier to compete when you have people around to beat!

The final 5k was the toughest mentally, not just because it's the final 5k of a half marathon, but because mile 11 was all uphill like Morehead Street in Charlotte. On miles 12 and 13, all the racers had to turn around at the 12 mile mark, awarding you with the agonizing opportunity to view all the people who are ahead of you!

The finish seemed like forever, but fortunately I had finally caught this guy who had fallen back to me. I passed him and gained a sizeable lead on him in the final 800 meters. Then he saw the finish and got all macho on me and passed me. Probably because I am a girl. I finished with Meagan standing right in the finish chute. That was really cool and fun to see a familiar face in a city that I'm entirely not from.

I chatted it up some with Meagan and hung out for a little while at the Craft booth before heading to the shuttles to attempt to make it to the amazing and free breakfast the Residence Inn has to offer. On the bus, I was able to reflect on the 13.1 Series and the organization of the event.

From my experience with one 13.1 Series race, I can now conclude with confidence that they do a great job creating a successful event. The course was very scenic and rolling just enough to keep it interesting but not too challenging as we traversed along the Mississippi River and then into one of the 10,000 lakes in Minnesota. The race medals are really cool - so cool, in fact, that I'm going to keep it. The announcer said my name and the city where I'm from when I crossed the finish line. There was free beer (not that I drank any because I didn't have my ID). They started on time and the results were posted in lightning quick speed. Best of all, my race t-shirt is Craft so that automatically means it's better than any other race t-shirt I've ever received.

When analyzing my own performance, I come away feeling positive about my mental tenacity and the ability to stay focused throughout the entire half. For both of my two slowest mile splits, I was running up a significant hill so the times are reasonable considering the incline and the lack of competition to movitate me to push it harder. I didn't ever feel the desire to drop out, which has come over my mind in the last two halfs I've done.

On a final note, I am grateful that Meagan was kind enough to let me take over part of her hotel room for two nights. It was fun to hang out with her and observe her as she did her job...which she's quite good at I might add. She definitely has a knack for selling Craft gear and Karhu shoes. Shoot, I even ordered a pair via email to Melissa Bell at Inside Out Sports after she gave me the Fast to try on!

Some highlighted mental tactics utilized throughout the race. Exclamation points infer the level of excitement I was trying to create in my mind.

Mile 1: Great start! This is easy. Easy peasy. Meagan might not be here, but this will still be a lot of fun!!!!

Mile 3: Three miles in! Only 60 minutes (or less) remaining - that's NOTHING!!!!!

Mile 4: Wow, there's a person in front of me. Let's get him! You are going to run sub-1:18!!

Mile 5: Okay maybe this isn't as much fun without Meagan here. Focus on the tangents instead.

Mile 6: This hill is shorter and less steep than the Twin Cities hills...or is it? I can't remember. Either way, pretend like you feel as awesome on this hill as you did at Twin Cities.

Mile 7: I'm over halfway.

Mile 8: Maybe I'm not going to break 1:18...no one to compete with. Okay, run like you are competing.

Mile 11: Are my legs tired right now because I played golf for the first time in my life on Thursday? My fingers are sore. Probably not, you're making up excuses Caitlin!

Mile 13: This is the longest last mile EVER. At least I caught that guy!!!!

Yeah - that's not me. It's Katie McGregor winning the race.
But we're both redheads so I thought I'd give her tribute! Go Gingers!
And Meagan is in the picture on the right.

Got the Plan!

2011-08-17T17:59:00.000-04:00

Taken by Andy Chen of Indigo Photography

In this picture above, I'm contemplating what my new training plan looks like! With just under five months until the Trials, my coach Mark Hadley already has put a lot of thought into my plan leading up to January, 14 2011. I received it today and I felt like a little kid on Christmas. The focus for this training cycle will be to boost both my lactate and aerobic thresholds so that I can enter the race feeling strong and fit.

What does that mean exactly?

Well, one example is that I want to be able to run more repeats but with shorter rest than I had last year. For instance, let's say that in 2010 before Twin Cities I ran 6x1000m at 3:25 with 2:30 rest. This year I want to be able to run 8x1000m at 3:25 with 2:00 rest.

There were two new additions to my training plan this time around that added a lot of value. Given my work schedule and travel to visit family and friends, Mark has prioritized my three workouts in order of importance. That way if a workout needs to be tweaked or dropped because of a travel mishap or tired legs, I'll know which workout I should really focus on that week.

The other enhancement Mark made to my plan was to include a new type of work out. It seems like the 3x3 mile workout is out and that the "wave" work out is in. I'll be doing two types of wave work outs - a 5 mile and a 9-10 mile. In the 5 mile wave, I'll alternate paces every 800 meters with a faster pace and a slower pace. During the 9 mile wave, I'll alternate paces every mile between 615 and then 545. These two workouts sound like they will really help me increase my focus throughout the entire workout instead of just a boring 9 mile tempo.

When it gets within 10 weeks of the Trials, I'll be doing lots of mile repeats, tempos, and long runs. I'm excited to put in lots of miles with my friends over the next coming months as the training plan unfolds and the journey continues.

Pre-13.1 Minneapolis Workout

2011-08-17T12:40:00.000-04:00

Goal:
2-3 Miles at HMP and 4x400m

Actual:
3 miles warmup
2 miles in 11:54 (6:07, 5:47)
.7 mile jog
4x400m in 74, 73, 73, 71 with 400m jog
2 miles cool down for ~10 miles total

Thomas joined me for this one at the Dilworth Speed Loop. We met in front of Rebecca's beautiful Dilworth home and did a two mile tempo. Then the plan was to do 4x400m to get the legs moving. On the two mile portion, I really just wanted to run the first mile like how I plan to at the Half Marathon this weekend. I executed that exactly by running 607 and then 547. To be honest, my legs felt terrible on the first mile and then they started to feel a lot better on the second mile. I was hoping they would feel much better on the speedy 400m portion, and fortunately the legs cooperated.

There really isn't that much to report here because it's a pre-race workout. I typically use these as a mental tune up and try to envision the race plan I want to execute. While doing my two mile, I determined that I really want to run my strongest portion of my half marathon in that final 5k. I also realized that in the three other half marathons I've completed, I've never once felt good in the final five miles. I would like to change that. To do so, I've determined a race plan that has the highest likelihood of success. I'd like to run the first 5 miles of the race at 6:00-6:10 pace (Marathon Pace), the second 5 miles at 5:50-6:00 Pace, and the final 5k in 5:45-5:55 Pace. The key is to be patience in the first half of this race. I know that I can run sub 6 pace for 10 miles, but I need to ensure that I don't dip below 6 minutes until it feels right - later in the race...not in the first 2 miles.

I'm excited to make the short trip to Minneapolis and reunite with Meagan at the Residence Inn. She practically puts on the 13.1 Race series for Karhu, so it should be cool to watch her do her job. I'm assuming we'll be sharing a bed and that she'll try to snuggle up on me like she did when we ran the Heart & Sole Women's Five Miler in Columbia, SC. HA!!

Week in Review

2011-08-14T10:23:00.000-04:00

~72 Miles
2 workouts
13.1 mile long run
3 Days in Michigan

What a fun week! Great workout Tuesday, terrible workout Thursday, fun, solo long run Sunday...definitely a roller coaster! Continuing my jet-setting trend, this week I was able to fit my running schedule into my travel schedule as I flew to Detroit early Friday morning for my cousin Michelle's wedding. Jordan was kind enough to even run with me at 5:30AM and then drive me to the airport. Once in Michigan, I reunited with so many of my family members, watched my cousin say her wedding vows, and danced the night away with my Tuveson cousins and family. The dancing must have warmed my legs up for the next morning when I ran 13.1 miles as my last long run before the half next weekend. On the second half, I picked it up to 620-640 pace just for fun and felt great. It broke up the monotony to do a steady state run all on my own and made the time go by faster on the River Trail that snaked through Michigan State's campus and the city of East Lansing.

The highlight of the week was definitely playing with my second cousins at their house on Friday and Sunday! Daphne, Sophia, and Veronica were all so adorable and cuddly. After playing hide and go seek and Tickle Monster, I had to get out my mom's iPad with children's games on it to take a break from running around the house. I can't upload pictures yet as I'm still in Michigan but I'll get them up here eventually.

I should also note that the Trials are exactly five months from this date! Every thing that I do now is all a part of the journey!

Tempo Fail

2011-08-11T09:43:00.000-04:00

Goal:
5 Miles at Half Marathon Pace or Faster

Actual:
~4 miles warmup
3.5 miles at 604 pace
~3 miles cool down for ~11.3 miles total

I think I was being a bit too aggressive with my goals for this workout given my schedule this week. I had a good long run with a tempo on Sunday, a great mile repeats workout on Tuesday, and expected to continue the upward trend this Thursday. Instead, I found that my legs were tired and that they just didn't have the energy to keep treking up and down the Booty Loop's hills. Even with the solid pack of Spada, Bilbrey, Carolyn, and Shue, I was just tired. Plain and simple. Spada and Billy rocked it and Carolyn kept up with us for the first 800m and then did her own thing. It was exciting to see her face out there with us. I like her spirit!

With just 9 days until the 13.1 Minneapolis, all I can do is wipe this one off the slate and trust that the miles that I've put in over the summer have indeed kept my fitness at a level that will help me achieve my goals.

Perhaps I would have run better if I had done this work out on Friday, but family is more important. I leave tomorrow morning early to head to Michigan for a cousin's wedding. I will be seeing family members that I haven't seen in over five years on Friday, which leaves me no time to workout. I also will be meeting my little second cousins. Playing with them will probably be a work out in itself!

Mile Repeats at McAlpine

2011-08-09T09:57:00.000-04:00

Goal:
5 x 1600 w 400m jog

Actual:
29 minute warmup for ~3.7 miles
5xmile at 5:47, 5:34, 5:33, 5:29, 5:31
18 minute cool down for ~2.3 miles for 11.75 miles total
This was definitely an early morning workout at McAlpine..5:40AM. I pulled up to the Old Bell Parking lot to find Billy and Stephen Spada already waiting for me. All pride in what I thought was my early arrival was immediately dashed. After an attempt to parallel park in a tight spot, I decided it was too early to try to master that one. I found out as I jogged up to the guys that Billy did the exact same thing and failed as well. Spada didn't miss a beat and took a moment to make fun of our poor early morning driving abilities.

Without any head lamps, we made our way through the washed out trail and stumbled over the ruts and divets that the torrential downpour caused. Around the lake, we were able to link up with the miner's runners but we soon bid them farewall as we made our way to the starting line of the XC course. Since the three of us had come to ill prepared for the darkness, we had to do our first interval on the first mile of the course. Then we jogged over to the 3rd mile of the course to finish the rest of the intervals since the sun was finally starting to peak through the trees.

We started off our first mile repeat super relaxed - we went through the first 400m in a 96, which would be 6:24 pace. By the 800m mark, we had picked it up to 3:00 and negative split by 13 seconds in the second half to finish in 5:47. I didn't want to run all of my mile repeats at 5:47, but it was a good way to open up the work out so that I felt smooth and relaxed at that pace.

When we ran the last four intervals, we added on 5-10 meters past the 3 mile mark since this mile is the short one. I think this should account for whatever distance that mile is short, but who knows. Regardless, when I saw my time for the second repeat (5:34), I was thrilled. I felt relaxed in the first 800m, and with the uneven footing, I was able to run a decent split. We ran 5:29-5:34 for these intervals on the back loop and on each repeat, we were faster through the 1200m mark than we had been on the one prior. Billy pulled away from me on the 4th and 5th ones, and Spada on the 5th.

Overall, I'm really pleased with this workout because I completed all of the intervals, posted good times on difficult terrain, and battled through it when I really wanted to stop on the fifth one. On Thursday, I've got a 5 mile tempo that I'm hoping to knock out on the Booty Loop to provide some challenge with the uphill and downhill.

interval: time (jog rest time)
1: 5:47 (3:10)
2: 5:34 (2:51)
3: 5:33 (2:52)
4: 5:29 (2:46)
5: 5:31

Week in Review

2011-08-07T14:01:00.001-04:00

~81 Miles
16 Mile Long Run
2 Doubles
3 Ab Sessions
1 Massage

In an effort to account for my crazy schedule that started on Wednesday, I kept things early in the week light and just focused on getting my runs in before my social life got the best of me. The week started off with a solid 1000m workout and I had over 35 miles after 3 days of running. On Wednesday, I traveled to Atlanta to visit my best friend Merry as she connected over night in Atlanta for her first trip back to the US in over a year after being in the Peace Corps. We exchanged updates about our lives, reminisced about memories and people from Wake, and laughed about some of the oddities of Dominican Republic culture. All of this took place into late hours in the night, and I had to wake up at 5:00AM to drive back to Charlotte in time for work.

Needless to say that the trip was well worth whatever lack of sleep I may have gotten, and I made it to work on time. Combining the lack of sleep with the humidity made my body feel absolutely terrible, so I called off a tempo workout on Friday and decided to run hard for a 5k in my long run on Sunday.

On Friday night, my former massage therapist from Wake Forest, Joel Tull, was able to get us some free tickets to Cirque du Soleil since he is their massage therapist whenever they tour through the Carolinas. The show was great!! I still liked Totem better, but Cirque always will hold a special place in my heart because of the amazing feats of strength, agility and skill that are demonstrated by the athletes!

I topped out the week with a long run that was shared with about 20 other Charlotte runners on the Davidson campus and trails. Afterwards, a group of 10 of us enjoyed the delicious food over at Toast before we made our way over to the Hepp-Hovis training facility for a quick dip in the pool.

I've got two more weekends of travel, and then I'll be staying put in Charlotte for a couple of weeks. What's next? Next weekend I'll be in Michigan for my cousin's wedding and the following week Meagan and I will be making an appearance at the 13.1 Minneapolis race. Another wedding in Raleigh will keep me occupied in the final days of August. Soon Jay and Lauren will be married too! By the beginning of September, Garrett's baseball season will be wrapping up, but he won't be coming straight back to North Carolina. Instead, he is opting to go straight to my parent's house to get to know them better and to also earn some money by working for their real estate business. By that time, it will have been over 9 weeks since the last time I saw him. I'm sure a trip home to Carbondale to visit Garrett while he's there will be something that comes to fruition. After that, it's time to buckle down and focus on training, proper recovery, nutrition and all the other little things that build up to become really important! (Not that I haven't been focusing on that, but travel does make it much harder to!)

7x1000m Repeats in Dilworth...Again

2011-08-02T08:26:00.002-04:00

Goal:
8x1000m at sub-3:20 with 300m jog rest

Actual:
3+ mile warmup
7x1000m at interval (rest)
3:24 (2:17)
3:19 (2:35)
3:19 (2:22)
3:19 (2:35)
3:18 (2:34)
3:18 (2:54)
3:18
3+ mile cool down for ~11 miles

After making Meagan get up way earlier than she would have liked, I wanted to make it up to her somehow. I decided to drive over to the start of the Dilworth Speed Loop to place three bottles of ice cold water waiting for us at every interval. Turns out we had five people doing this workout, so I figured three bottles would be sufficient for the lot of us. I did this workout back on June 28th, so I had high hopes to run just as well as I did then. Turns out we ran almost exactly identical to how we did then, except that I didn't drop a 3:14 for the last two. Regardless, I am pleased with this work out because I ran under 3:20 which is always a great time for me.

Fortunately I had the company of Spada, Billy, Eric, and Meagan to help push me. Unfortunately, Meagan had to drop off after a couple because it just wasn't her day. Since she disappeared in such a stealth mode, the boys had to listen to me between intervals as I worried out loud about her whereabouts and also her gimp shin. For the intervals 1-5, Eric and I really worked together as we ran side-by-side and pushed each other to run decent times. It was fun even if we had to yell at Billy for staying in the middle of the road on one occasion!

After the fifth interval, I was tired of taking the lead, so I told Billy to lead. This was a good learning lesson for him as he typically just runs side by side with me. I was hoping he would realize that he can execute his own strategy by taking the lead. Sure enough, he felt great and ran some really fast times. This helped me maintain my pace as I watched Billy pull away from me. Spada and I ran together for all of these and it seemed like we both weren't feeling as great as we had the month earlier.

At the end of the work out, Spada jumped into his car and I was left to listen to Billy and Eric analyze their work outs. It's funny how everyone handles their post-workout. Spada jumps into his car without a cool down, Billy talks about the last time he did 1000s (February 2010) and his latest Grand Prix race, Eric analyzes his final striders and form, and I just listen to them all and maybe say a word or two but then keep the rest of my own analysis in my head. I'm probably just creating a rough draft in my head about what I'm going to write about in my blog.

Needless to say, the difference amongst all of us is what keeps these work outs exciting. It definitely breaks up the monotony of just running solo.

Week in Review

2011-07-31T10:22:00.000-04:00

80 Miles
8 Runs, 1 double
2 work outs
16+ mile long run

After starting out the week with a crazy travel day, things immediately began to settle down as I eased back into my normal work and running schedule. I started off with a less than impressive minuters work out but finished the week with a great 1.5 mile repeats work out. I reached my weekly mileage target and feel ready to hit the 85 mile mark for the first time in over 6 months this coming week. With the exception of a short stint in Atlanta midweek to see my best friend Merry on her lay over back from the Peace Corps to visit her family for the first time in over a year, I will be in Charlotte for the rest of the week.

Success in Summer: 4x1.5 Mile

2011-07-29T10:32:00.001-04:00

Goal:
4x1.5 mile at 6:00, 5:50 and faster with 3:00 jog rest

Actual:
26 min warmup for 3.2 miles

Total Time - Mile Split - (rest)
1 - 8:37 - 5:45 (3:00)
2 - 8:34 - 5:41 (3:00)
3 - 8:37 - 5:43 (4:30 - pee break)
4 - 8:31 - 5:38

18 min cool down for 2.2 miles

After a quick chat last night, Meagan and I decided to do our workout in Dilworth instead of at McAlpine. Due to this July heat, we wanted to start off at a relatively conservative pace (6:00) and get faster. This morning, Meagan and I met at the Freedom Park bathrooms at 7:05AM to continue our way up to the corner of Worthington and Dilworth Rd E to meet Caleb and Billy.

After situating my water bottle in a nearby tree and wiping my sweat off with the towel that I brought along, we toed the white line and waited for the beep of my garmin. For the first one, the pacing was left up to me and Meagan told me she was going to rely on me to bring us through in a controlled pace. Through the first 600m, we were around 5:55 pace. Apparently my internal pace calculator didn't like that and by the mile, we had picked it up to 5:45. It should be noted that there is a nice down hill that helps propel the pace to a faster time. We formed a nice square with Billy and I in the lead, Meagan on my shoulder, and Caleb behind Billy. I felt really controlled and relaxed at the completion of this one. On the second interval, the goal was to go out easy again but somehow we came through in 5:42. My body felt great though so we continued to push through.

For the third and fourth intervals, I noticed that in the first 600m, my legs felt really heavy and sore, but that the feeling would go away as we got further into the repeat. I will account this to the slight uphill that characterizes the first part of this loop. Further, my breathing adjusted as my legs adjusted. I felt like my breathing was a lot heavier in the first part and then would settle down at the same time my legs felt better. I would rather that my breathing is not affected by how my body feels, so I really need to focus on not letting my physical feelings affect my mentality and therefore my breathing. If I start to get freaked out, it affects my breathing and that could be detrimental, especially in a longer race.

I'd also like to point out that I ran all of these faster than when I did this workout in the same location back on June 3rd. It was hotter today, so that's a really good sign of improvement.

I will also note that I'm really proud of Meagan because she was having a hard time breathing on the third one, but she really pulled it together on the fourth interval to bring the breathing back under control. What i love most about working out with Meagan is that when she's having a hard time, I can provide her the words of encouragement that she needs to hear. She does the same thing for me when I'm having difficulty. The two races we have planned for this fall - the 13.1 Minneapolis and the Army Ten Miler - will be really special for me because I know that Meagan and I will be able to work together to push each other and also have a great time doing it.

Caleb also stayed with us through 2.5 intervals and Billy shined on the fourth. All in all, we had a good time in the 80 degrees this morning. The best part was definitely getting cold water on Rebecca's porch.

16x1 Min Bonk

2011-07-27T09:25:00.000-04:00

Goal:
16x1 min with 1:15 rest

Actual:
~3.8 mile warmup in 29 min
14x1 min with 1:15 rest, then 2x30 seconds
~2.2 mile warmup in 18 min for 11.5 miles total

After last night's run, I was weary about my work out this morning. I knew that it was going to hurt, which is why I actually switched my scheduled workout for 1000s out with next week's workout of 16x1 min. I figured such a decision would be less painful and I really want to run strong in my 1000s.

This morning, I left my house at 6am with Billy to meet Eric at the tennis courts in Freedom Park. We added on some more miles before beginning our minuters. There really isn't much to report except that I felt pretty good considering the fact that I had been in an airport or airplane for 20 hours the day before. That feeling of strength left me after 12 intervals. On thirteen, I felt tired and heavy and struggled to keep up with the boys on a measly 1 min pickup. My legs felt like they were dragging through wet concrete, so I decided to stop on 15 and 16 at 30 seconds, before my legs really were starting to shut down. My breathing was heavy as well, so the work out ended on a rather negative note.

However, I am happy that I was able to get through 12 without a problem, especially given the circumstances. With just a little more rest, I'll feel better soon. I'm confident that things will be back on track later this weekend after my body has had time to adjust. To speed up that process, I got a massage today from Byran at Balance Bodywork and he worked his magic on my sore muscles. As I continue to run 80+ miles, massage will be a critical component to my regime.

Week in Review

2011-07-25T14:03:00.000-04:00

45 Miles
6 Runs
0 Doubles
5 Days in California
20 hours in an airplane or airport

What a great down week this was! When I received my training plan from Mark in February, I saw this planned down week and immediately looked into booking tickets to visit my sister in Orange County. After two days in Charlotte, I set off on a direct flight to LAX on Wednesday morning. Southern California greeted me with a cold breeze and temperatures in the 60s and 70s. Apparently I missed another hot weekend in Charlotte that featured temps in the upper 90s. I missed the other really hot weekend when I went to Albany. My timing has been quite right!

Ironically, I was a little bummed that my down week was planned in California though because the weather was so ridiculously nice out that I felt great running. It would have been easy to log over 80 miles here because the temp was so moderate. In fact, I have seriously contemplating moving out here next summer to work remotely, to live with my sister, and to put in some quality miles. It really would work out quite great, so stay tuned as I weigh my options!

In my down week, I ate lots of delicious vegan food, took naps during the week, and pampered myself with a facial. Spending time with my sister and her best friends Athena and Anna was just what I needed.

My glorious down week came to an immediate halt after I was stranded in an airplane or airport for 20 hours. I had a red eye flight connecting in Phoenix and then on to Charlotte. Well, we flew over Phoenix for two hours, re-routed to Las Vegas due to a storm in Phoenix, sat at the gate in the airplane in Vegas, and then took off AGAIN for Phoenix. I wish they would have let us off the plane because then I could have just stayed with my brother Joey who, ironically, lives in Phoenix but was partying in Vegas. Alas, my luck was not with me Sunday night. We arrived in Phoenix at 2:15AM and I was left to either pay for a hotel or sleep in the airport until my 10AM flight the next day. I opted to buy a hotel room at a "discounted" rate of $90.

After three hours of sleep, I was up again and on my way BACK to the Phoenix airport. When we finally departed, I felt like the travel mess was over. I was wrong. We circled Charlotte for another hour before landing, so I finally arrived at 615PM, another 90 minute delay added onto my travel saga. My body felt like I had just gotten off a plane from Europe! This definitely wasn't the way I was hoping to start my week, but I've got seven days in Charlotte coming up where I can focus on recovery and getting rest. I can't wait.

Cheating on the Down Week

2011-07-19T20:53:00.000-04:00

Goal:
Don't work out this week

Actual:
~11 miles with 10x1 min on/off at 70% effort

Over the weekend, Mr. Stephen Spada sent me an email requesting a workout partner for Tuesday. I didn't check my work email over the weekend, so I received it once walking into work on Monday. However, I forgot to respond to it. It was easy to forget about it because I wasn't supposed to work out any way. Stephen wouldn't let up - I received another email from him requesting the same thing. I agreed to do some minuters with him and to keep them relatively relaxed and controlled and clicked send. There was no backing out now.

I showed up at Boyce with 4 minutes to spare as I put Body Glide on before meeting up with Josh, Megan, Mike, Stephen, Gordon, Mike, Aaron, and others that I can't remember. After spending 35 minutes with the entire group, Stephen, Josh, Mike and I took off to begin our minuters. I just ran with Josh and Stephen, keeping everything controlled. Considering the race this past weekend, my legs felt relatively good and it was just fun to be out there running with friends.

Tomorrow I board a plane at 7am, heading to Newport Beach to visit my wonderful sister. I have travelled quite a bit this year, but this trip is special because it was planned so far in advance. As soon as I received my training plan and saw a down week in the middle of the summer, I knew I would want to escape the NC heat and go to LA! I'm excited to run around the back bay just for time, not worrying about work outs or waking up early. It's definitely needed.

Week In Review

2011-07-17T14:29:00.000-04:00

~67 Miles
8 Runs in 6 Days
12 Mile Long Run
5k Race in 17:03
$590
Weight Lifting Started

After starting the week in Albany and realizing that I hadn't take a day off in over 6 weeks, I took Monday off and enjoyed working from Garrett's dorm room as he played baseball. The travel on Monday and Tuesday put a little bit of a damper on my running as I only accumulated 8 miles over those two days. However, I enjoyed every moment that I got to spend with Garrett, so it was entirely worth it.

Back in Charlotte, I got in lots of easy runs in preparation for Beat the Heat before finally making it to race day. I competed with a race with some great local competition and then enjoyed hanging out with some of NC's finest at Foothills Brewery.

My mileage over the course of the past 7 weeks has been consistently in the 70-80 mile range. After I take a week off from working out this coming week, I will bump my mileage up to 80-85 for the next three weeks before tapering a bit for the 13.1 Minneapolis Race. From there, I'll begin to dip into the 85-90 mile range to build my strength for the Trials. With only 6 months left until the big day, little things are becoming more and more important. It's crazy how quickly the year is flying by.

Beat the Heat 5k Race Recap

2011-07-16T20:58:00.007-04:00

Goal:
5k race in 16:59 (5:27/mile pace)

Actual:
~3 miles warmup
5k in 17:03 (5:23, 5:40, 5:26, :32)
$590 earnings ($500 USATF, $90 Age Graded)
~3.5 miles cool down

You may tell me that I'm crazy to walk away disappointed from a race where I won $590 and competed well against some of the best competition that NC has to offer, but I did.

So call me crazy.

Really, I'm confused about what emotions I should be feeling. Excited that I competed out there and executed a race strategy that suited my strengths? Or - disappointed that I was unable to be as strong on the 2nd mile as I was last year in this exact same race? Last year my splits were 5:26, 5:31, 530. This year I dropped a 5:40 in that second mile. I can't really explain what the difference was this year in that second mile, but I'm definitely not pleased with it.

The woman who won from Raleigh was only a mere ten seconds ahead of me and it's frustrating because I truly believe that I'm fit enough to have run a 16:52. In my dreams, Meagan and I would have been battling with her at the line for the win in 16:50 fashion, but we didn't. Instead, this is how it all unfolded:

In the first mile, the four of us women - Heather, Emily, Meagan and I - were all together and then we began to separate as we neared the halfway mark. Soon I couldn't hear the breathing of the other women, but I could still sense they were close. I ran through the 2-mile mark in 10:59 and knew that it was going to be a tough one to break 17:00 because I need to come through about four seconds faster. In the distance, the Kenyan woman was slowly coming back to me and I set my sights on her for the next mile.

As I charged through the downhill last 800m, I continued making ground on the first place woman but I knew that the 5k distance wouldn't be enough for me to pass her. My face contorted into strained expressions as I watch the clock tick off the seconds...16:56...16:57...16:58...16:59, until it finally ticked over 17:00 and I still had a couple of steps to go. I crossed the finish line feeling defeated and watched as Heather and Meagan followed close behind.

The group at 800m (Photo courtesy of Thomas Eggar)

Around 1.75 Miles

Of course, there are plenty of positive things that happened during and after the race that bring a smile to my face. All of the women - Heather Magill, Meagan Nedlo, Emily Potter and I all stood next to each other on the starting line. While we are all competing against one another, we are all also friends running a race together. We chatted and joked on the line and then stuck together in a pack for the first mile, pushing the other to run a fast and honest pace. As the race unfolded and we all began to separate, we were competing but helping each other at the same time. I love that feeling! I also snagged some good cash that is going to my long-distance-relationship-fund. I also got to catch up with all the other usual suspects at the NC USATF Championship races like Devin and Ryan, as well as some familiar Wake Forest teammates. Finally, I got to race at Wake Forest, which always will hold a special place in my heart.

Finish

The rest of the night was filled with fun as a large group of us gathered at Foothills Brewery to enjoy brews and food. I bought three of my friends a shot, enjoyed a mini-cousin-renunion with Garrett's sister and cousin, caught up with Eric Mack, and bar hopped with the Charlotte crew of Matt, John and Thomas. The night ended on a good note as I was surrounded by so many great people who share the same passion for running and food that I do.

Some of the CLT crew. Meagan and I have not showered

Week in Review

2011-07-10T15:37:00.000-04:00

~75 Miles
8 Runs
2 Days in Albany
Hottest Temps this summer
14 mile long run

Welp, I wanted to hit 80 miles this week, but that just didn't happen. I hate doing doubles in the summer so I guess if I had just pulled myself out into the suffocating NC heat and humidity one afternoon, I would have come closer to that number, but I didn't. Oh well!

I started the week off right with a fantastic 12x400m with Meagan and the boys. I closed the week of with a bad tempo before heading off to Albany, New York to see Garrett for the last time before his season ends in September. Bittersweet, yes I know.

Fortunately the weather here in New York has been a great escape from the Charlotte humidity. I've been able to sleep in and run at odd hours during the day without risking passing out from overheating. The trails here are amazing and I really would like to run BoilerMaker 15k next year. I'm struggling a little bit with a shoulder and neck muscle strain or something. It hurts like hell and the pain runs from my shoulder to my neck. I'm assuming it's from sitting at a computer all day for work and that I should probably do shoulder exercises that Mark Kane showed me to help prevent this from happening again.

Beat the Heat is less than 6 days away and I am ready to rock that race. Good competition, free pizza, prize money, and a day floating the Dan River is enough incentive for me to come.

5 Mile Tempo Fail

2011-07-08T15:25:00.000-04:00

Goal:
5 miles at 545 pace

Actual:
3 miles warmup
4 miles at 600 pace (609, 555, 557, 600)
~3 miles cooldown for 10 miles total

right now I'm visiting Garrett in NY so this post will be short. This was another early McAlpine 6am run with Billy, John, Eric, and Mike Kahn. I got a deep tissue massage the night before from Byran Bullock of Zenriffic Massage and could definitely feel the effects of it in my legs. During the warmup I felt flat and the humidity seemed to be the worst it's been the entire summer. Suffice it to say, I took the lead for the first mile of this tempo and we came through in a crawling pace of 609. I pushed the pace to drop it below 600 for the next two miles, but during mile 4, I felt too labored for such a short tempo. In fact, I felt much better the previous week, when I did a 9 mile progression tempo with last four miles under 600 and my last mile under 550. This week, that was not going to happen. Instead of coming away feeling terrible about running a mile over 600 for my last mile, I decided to pull the plug and jogged to meet the guys as they finished up.

I probably shouldn't have gotten such a deep massage the night before a workout, but it was the only time I could squeeze in before Albany and Beat the Heat 5k. I allow myself 1 bad workout about every 3 weeks, so this is my first one. I'm ready for Beat the Heat, just need to do some easy running over the next couple of days.

12x400m with 200m Rest

2011-07-05T15:45:00.001-04:00

Goal:
12x400m with 400m jog rest

Actual
2.5 mile warmup
12x400m with 200m jog rest 75, 75, 75, 79, 74, 74, 73, 73, 71, 74, 72, 71
2.5 mile cool down for 9.5 miles total

Last night before this workout, I texted Mark to make sure that I was really only supposed to do 12 400m repeats. That number seemed rather low and I was expecting to do at least 16x400m. He texted me back and said that 12 was the correct number and that the goal would be to try to run as close to 75 seconds but with a full 400m jog rest. I like to go above and beyond...or I just don't like to take 400m jog rests because then I have to wake up earlier, so I decided to only do 200m jog rest with the group.

Meagan, Billy, and Eric all met at my place at 615am to jog to the JCSU track for an early workout. We all agreed that a 400m rest sounded way too long so we decided to stick with a 200m jog and, if it felt too taxing on our bodies, to adjust accordingly. Turns out we didn't need to adjust our jog distance, but we did adjust our jog pace.

After we arrived at the track, a stray dog kept us company as he followed us around. He did seem like a pretty happy dog despite not having a home and he provided a feeling of comfort to me in an odd way. Paul and Stephen were doing an 800m workout while Jason and another guy were just finishing up their 400m repeats. For our first one, we jumped in with Spada to help him on his last lap of an 800m. That was fun because we ran fast without even knowing it.

The plan was to run in two pairs - Meagan and I and then Billy and Eric. We would alternate inside/outside of lane 1 as well as alternate leading with the boys. It worked out quite well because it broke up the monotony of running 4.5 miles around the track.

I am guessing that Meagan and I did a good job of pacing us through the the first 2 400s because we cruised through in 75 for both of those. However, I wasn't checking the 200m split, so it's all speculation. You can ask Eric what our splits were because he was glancing at his Garmin to make sure we were in check. On the fourth interval, Meagan whispered we were too fast in the first 100m, so the boys in the lead slowed down a tad too much after the 200m mark. That's why we ran a 79. It's funny because that seemed rather effortless and pedestrian compared to what we had been running.

After having about 75 seconds of rest between each interval, we decided to take a 2 min rest after the 8th 400m and to splash some lukewarm water over ourselves.; This must have bode well for us because Meagan and I lead us through a 71 second quarter for the 9th one. It was a lot of fun to go fast but it definitely hurt.

Toward the last 4 intervals, I was starting to feel some fatigue in my hamstrings and quads, but I still felt really strong and confident that I could keep posting some solid times. It was especially helpful to have Meagan alongside me the entire time. I felt like we were on a college team together and working out for some big race. It's always fun to run with the guys because undoubtedly they help make us stronger runners, right?

Again, I walk away pleased with this workout. While wearing my trainers, Nike Pegasus, I was able to post some fast times on the track. I'm hoping these faster times will help me maintain a faster pace on my longer tempos so that a PR is realistic for me in the marathon next January.

Week in Review

2011-07-03T21:17:00.000-04:00

75 Miles
7 Runs
2 Days in Asheville
15 mile long run
1 run at Biltmore Estate

This was another high quality week with two solid workouts - 1000m repeats and a 9 mile tempo. My legs are tired but it helped to break up the monotony of uptown by running in Asheville. My parents and I ran in the Biltmore estate as well as in the Asheville Arboretum. While we didn't do any hiking, we ran over lots of really beautiful trails in Asheville. I'd say they got a good tour of the city from me. Aside from running, we ate lots of good vegan food at the Laughing Seed Cafe as well as the Green Sage. We tried Salsa's but we weren't very impressed with it for vegetarian options. It was great to spend time with my parents in Asheville and I might have sold them on getting a cabin in the fall. :)

The best part about this week is that I didn't log any doubles. I like avoiding doubles for some odd reason...I think it has to do with showering twice in one day. If I just add one double in, I'll be in the 80s, so hopefully I'll post that kind of mileage next week.

Dad and I at Biltmore

At some music festival

Biltmore in the morning

Mom and I running at Biltmore Estate

9 Mile Tempo at McAlpine

2011-07-01T09:08:00.000-04:00

Goal:
9 mile progression tempo starting at 630 and getting faster

Actual:
2 miles warmup
9 mile tempo in 54:45 with splits of 6:20, 6:17, 6:13, 6:11, 5:55, 5:58, 6:02, 5:58, 5:48
2 miles cool down

I've woken up early every single day for the past three weeks, and this morning was no different. In fact, I've gotten on this new kick where I want to wake up every day at 5:20am and be out the door by 5:45 for whatever run I've got on tap. This means that I should be getting to bed earlier, but my boyfriend is just too endearing for me to pass up a conversation with after his baseball games. Even with a later bedtime, I've been getting 7-8 hours of sleep regularly and sleeping like a baby for every single second of those hours. This morning, I woke up to the sound of my alarm and put my running clothes on in the dark and performed my normal morning rituals before heading out to the Old Bell entrance of McAlpine.

I had a nice crew of company this morning for the tempo: Adrian Stewart, Jason Martin, Aaron Linz, and Billy Shue. We only did a two mile warmup with a bigger group that was doing an easy run and started from the Old Bell mark, ran to the 4 mile mark, turned around, jumped on the last mile of the course, and headed back to where we started from.

The whole crew of us worked together through 3 miles before Aaron split off to catch us on the back end and Billy and I continued to pick up the pace so eventually AJ and Jason slowly slipped behind us, but not by much! Billy and I ran side by side for miles 3-6 and it was fun to work together with him as we both maintained a solid pace. Since I am Billy's coach, I was paying attention to his breathing because he's been ordered to take a down week to give his body a rest from all the racing he's been doing. I could tell that he was fine, but didn't want him to over do it so I determined he would only do 6 miles.

On my end, everything felt fantastic except for my legs. They just felt heavier than usual. All other components felt absolutely fantastic though! My form, my breathing, and my confidence were all right there and I knew that I could power through the tempo with some solid times with my tired legs.

After 6 miles, Billy stopped as I had instructed him to do so, and Aaron picked me up to join me for the last third of the work out. Aaron had all sorts of energy and although my breathing wasn't very labored, I wasn't ready to expend my energy talking. We exchanged some words and his energy helped motivate me. I really wanted to run sub-6 in those final three miles so I utilized Jordan Kinley's tactics by telling myself that I only had 18 minutes left of running and kept counting down. Before I knew it, the mile marker was suddenly there and I told Aaron "UNA MAS" and we powered it in. I closed in a 5:48 which is really great considering it's mid-summer.

Overall, I'm very pleased with this workout because I was able to progressively get faster on a pair of tired legs. I love how even though everyone had varying types of a tempo today we were able to make it work so that we would be able to help push each other at varying points of the work out. I love running tempos with other people because it makes the time go by faster and it's always fun to hear how everyone else did. Jason and AJ had a really solid 6 mile tempo and Aaron helped me out for my latter part. I could get used to him just running for fun because I keep getting him all to myself in workouts. It's definitely very nice of him to keep my company.

I'm hoping that I can keep this momentum moving forward until August, when I'm racing the 13.1 Minneapolis with Meagan Nedlo. The key through this month of July is to maintain my mileage in the upper-70s and to listen to my body as the weather begins to get hotter and more humid.

Fortunately, I get to spend the weekend in Asheville with my parents this weekend. The following weekend I'll escape some of the NC heat and head to upstate New York to see Garrett for the last time this summer. Just a short week later, I'll head to California to visit my sister. Obviously July is a month filled with travel for me, but it will be well worth it as I'm spending it with my favorite boy and my family! I am looking forward to running in new places!

7x1000m with 300m jog

2011-06-28T16:30:00.000-04:00

Goal:

7x1000m with 400m jog rest

Actual:

3.5 miles warmup

7x1000m at

3:24 (800m split 2:42)

3:19 (800m split 2:38)
3:19 (800m split 2:37)
3:20 (800m split 2:39)
3:19 (800m split 2:38)
3:14 (400m splits 75, 800m split 2:34)
3:14 (800m split 2:34)

with 300m jog between
2.5 miles cool down for 11.3 miles total

After fitting in a late night conversation into my night time routine, I got to bed a lot later than I had hoped and woke up this morning feeling exhausted. After I jumped out of bed, I suddenly felt much more lively and had high hopes for the work out. I headed out my door with a Timex water bottle, hoping that the water on hand would bring a sense of comfort toward the latter part of the intervals.

The early morning hours didn't stop anyone else in the Charlotte running community to come out to beat the heat. Once I made my way over to Dilworth Rd West, I already had spotted Tim Rhodes, Aprille Schaffer, Larry and Kathy Seavers, and Pete (and many more!). Eventually I ran into Stephen Spada, who was finally able to join me for a work out since his son's lacrosse season is over. (Apparently their team posted a record of 26-2!) A couple of minutes later, we picked Eric up and waited for him to stretch before we began our attack on 1000m repeats.

The goal was the run the 800m Dilworth Speed Loop but to add on 200m since there is a mark in the sidewalk on East Blvd that Stephen told us about. You can see our route in the map below. With our course marked at every 200m, we set off on our first one on feel. We started at a relatively conservative pace, going through an 82 in the first 400m. It felt easy. After that one, I mused to Eric and Stephen that for the next couple, I would like to stay above 2:40 for the 800m split. Did that happen? Not so much.

We didn't go over 2:40 for the rest of the workout. In fact, I felt smooth and relaxed until about the 6th and 7th repeats, but by that time, Justin Breland had randomly joined in for the fun, so I had an entourage of three guys around me to push and motivate me. In fact, Justin somehow had enough energy to say encouraging phrases to Stephen and I like: "Wow! You guys look great!"

After the fifth one, I told Spada that he could take off on these next two because I didn't want to hold him back at all. He must have listened to me because he took off like a bat out of hell in the first 200m and we cruised through the first 400m in 75 seconds. I had a brief moment of panic, brushed it away, and pushed through the Dilworth Rd E turn. Suddenly I was ahead of the guys and found yet another gear to push through the small hill before the 800m mark. We cruised through the finish in my fastest split of the day: 3:14. The best part about the work out was that I was able to run another 3:14 for the 7th and final interval.

After we finished, we grabbed water with PROPEL at Rebecca's front porch. Was it the best propel ever? Yes. While sipping on my sweet grape drink, I was able to reflect on my completed work out. I definitely was happy with how things had turned out.

It could be true that the 1000m Dilworth Speed Loop is a bit off, but I wore my garmin and it consistently had .63 miles, which is technically longer than 1000m. Regardless, I was able to post my two fastest splits of the day at the very end of the work out and also maintain a fast speed going into a sharp turn onto East Blvd. I pushed through when it hurt most and took advantage of the competition from the guys around me. I can tell that my speed is definitely coming along. I haven't run a 1000m at sub-3:20 in a REALLY long time so it felt great to walk away from the Dilworth Speed Loop with a new workout "PR."

The 1000m Dilworth Speed Loop

Week in Review

2011-06-26T14:40:00.000-04:00

80 miles
17 mile long run
1 Double
2 workouts
2 Ab Sessions
1 Massage at Balance Body Work Charlotte
3 Tickets to the London Olympics

This week was definitely a success because I hit my mileage target with just one double. After my Friday workout, I had a great easy run with Meagan where we maintained 7-7:10 pace without any effort. This is an accomplishment in itself because Meagan and I typically run 7:45-8:00 pace together, especially after work outs. I can tell that I am getting stronger because it takes me fewer days to recover from workouts.

The long run on Sunday featured a group of fifteen or more Charlotte Running Club members and a respectable pace. The weather this weekend has been fabulous for running and has been a relief from the standard hot temperatures and high humidity levels.

The best part of this week was that Jocelyn and I secured several tickets to the London 2012 Olympics! We will be attending the women's 10,000m Final, the Men and Women's 1500m Semi Final, and the Women's 800m Semi Final. We also booked tickets to a women's beach volleyball semi final and a canoe sprint race. Of course, we'll be attending the Women's Marathon as well!! I can't wait for such an awesome adventure to begin. Hopefully Shalane Flanagan will be in the women's 10,000m final again this time around.

I also booked a weekend adventure to visit Garrett in Albany, New York so that I can see him at least once in the next three months. Should be a nice break from the hot weather here!

3x2 Mile at McAlpine

2011-06-24T14:20:00.001-04:00

Goal:
3x2 mile at 11:50 or faster with 400m rest

Actual:
~3 miles warmup
2x2 mile at 11:42 (550, 552) and 11:29 (5:39, 5:50) with 3 min rest,
1.5 mile in 8:50 (5:50, 3:00) with 2 min rest
800m in 2:41
~3 miles cool down for 12 miles total

Not much to report on this workout except that I was lucky enough to have Aaron help me out, who just ran a PR at Grandma's Marathon 6 days ago. It was really hot and muggy this morning and, after the first interval, Billy and I both agreed that it was rather difficult to breathe in the conditions.

We ran from the mile 1 mark to mile 3 mark on the McAlpine Greenway portion for the first interval. For the second, we turned around at the 3 mile mark and ran back to the 1 mile mark. I started like a bat out of hell with a 2:44 first 800m and tried my best to keep the pace honest over the course of the next 1.5 miles until Aaron jumped in. He motivated me to keep on going and I was able to muster a 5:50 second mile for that. It was so hot that I didn't even bother doing a jog rest. I just walked around and jogged when I felt like it.

For the third interval, I was hanging on for dear life. I went through the mile in 5:50, turned around at the start at Old Bell, and passed through the 800m mark in 3:00. I decided it would be easier for me mentally to walk away from this workout by stopping at the 1.5 mile mark, resting, and then running a fast 800m.

That's exactly what I did.

Aaron and I took it out in 80 seconds for the first 400m and as we rounded through the soft section near Old Bell, I tried my hardest to maintain the same pace as Aaron took off ahead of me. I ran an 81 for that second half and finished feeling pretty good about the workout. I'd like to be able to complete the whole workout without modifications next time, but this was a good alternative for my level of comfort today with the humidity.

I enjoyed a nice cool down jog with Jason Martin, Aaron, and Billy before jumping into the car and getting home in time for a meeting at work.

Week in Review

2011-06-19T12:12:00.000-04:00

70 Miles
8k race in 28:09
7 Runs
14 mile long run
2 Ab workouts

This week was a bit lower in mileage than I had hoped, but I raced on Saturday so that provides some justification for not getting in 75 miles. I enjoyed some time on the Wake Forest Campus for the TRAILS study, hung out with Garrett's sister Elyse, raced in Durham, and went to a rained out cookout that was moved to Mike Kahn's house. Overall, this was a very busy weekend with some travel, food with friends, and a long run that was so relaxed and enjoyable that I almost wish I were still running. I'm starting this summer in the same shape as when I ended last summer, so that's always exciting. After this week's 8k I have confidence that I can run a 16:59 5k at Beat the Heat. All the same women from the 8k will be there, so even if I get fifth, but break 17, I'm a happy camper.

NC USATF 8k Championships Recap

2011-06-18T11:19:00.001-04:00

Goal:
8k Race in 28:40 or faster than last year

Actual:
2.7 miles warmup in 22:00
8k Race in 28:09 with splits of 5:49, 5:23, 5:51, 5:49, 5:14 (50 seconds faster than last year)
3.8 miles cool down in 33:00 for 11.5 miles total

Comparison of 2011 to 2010
2011 2010 Diff
5:49 5:48 +1
5:23 5:37 -14
5:51 5:59 -8
5:49 6:01 -12
5:14 5:34 -20

As you can see in the breakdown above, I ran exactly 50 seconds faster this year, or 10 seconds per mile faster, than last year. This quite possibly indicates that my fitness is at a higher level than it was at this time last year. What it also indicates is that I thrive off of competition. This year, five women ran faster than my 2010 winning time, with all of them running 28:45 or faster. Talk about a great race.

After a delicious meal provided by John's gracious aunt, I headed off to bed to get in enough sleep before the 5am wake up call. I had received several texts from Jay urging me to watch Mike Kahn's video made in tribute to Jay, so I stayed up a little later to watch the video and talk with Jay before his last night in Charlotte. After a fitful night of sleep, John and I packed everything back into his car and made our way to Durham from Raleigh. We arrived with plenty of time and scored a great parking spot close to the start line. Soon Meagan and Jordan arrived with our numbers and it was time to warm up. I lead our pack of Charlotte runners through the first two miles of the course and convinced John to run a couple more minutes with me.

During the warmup, Meagan updated me about the competition. Word was that a 16:34 5k girl - Jackie Kirby - was going to be in the mix. I decided not to worry about her too much because the track is a lot different than the roads...especially on hilly roads. Also making an appearance were Heather Magill and Lucinda Hull. On any given day, any one of us could win one of these NC USATF Championships races, but I didn't want today be that day.

During my strides and drills, I generated my own version of a race plan, go out relaxed with the pack and let someone else take the lead. After that, I wanted to maintain the same effort on the hills as on the flat portions and to make my move before the 4 mile mark since Jackie or Meagan could have a better kick than me.

Five minutes before the start, John, Meagan and I formed a pack in the middle of the start line and wished each other luck. John was going for sub-25 and at least second place and Meagan and I were going for sub-28:30 and at least some dollar bills.

The race director said "on your mark, get set..." (Cowbell rings)

Was that really the start?

People stepped forward over the line tentatively, as if their bodies were asking for permission to cross. I decided to just go and hope that I wouldn't be disqualified and other people did the same. Meagan apparently was a bit more skeptical of a cowbell for a start cue and took her time to get off the line. I couldn't feel her behind me for at least the first 100 meters as her start was a bit more delayed. I kept glancing around and even worried that she might have been tripped and trampled over or something even more drastic.

After the start line debacle, Jackie zipped to the lead and another girl in an orange uniform joined her. I said out loud to my pack of women - Meagan, Heather, and Lucinda - that they will come back. Sure enough, Orange girl came back after the mile mark, but Jackie maintained her 5 second lead. We came through the mile in a somewhat slow pace and I panicked for a bit because it felt a lot faster (and more difficult) than 5:49.

The second mile is downhill, and suddenly the Orange Girl came barreling past us again and joined Jackie again. She was a really strong down hill runner that's for sure! I wished her the best, but decided I didn't want to keep playing cat and mouse. At the first up hill, I pushed up to pass her and run alongside Jackie. During this whole time, Meagan and Heather followed. I had support from the crew! We came through the second mile much faster but I forgot to look at my watch because I was too busy mentally preparing for the hill that was coming next.

As we entered mile 3, there is a big hill that I seemed to bound over quite effortlessly and I could feel that I had dropped the pack of 5 women, including Jackie and Meagan. After I crested the hill, the pack returned, with me as the leader. I can't remember if Jackie took the lead again for a little bit here, but then another uphill came along and, again, I gained distance on the other ladies.

As we entered mile 4, I had created a small gap on Meagan and Jackie, but eventually I couldn't hear Jackie much anymore and could feel someone up alongside my left shoulder again. I was 99% certain it was Meagan because I've run with her long enough to recognize her breathing but I wanted to make sure, so around 3.5 miles I turned slightly, discovered it was her, and said Let's go. Or something like that. Apparently my words of encouragement were caught by the wind and were blown past Meagan's ears so she missed it.

As we rounded a turn just before the 4 mile mark, Jordan was there to cheer us on and he said "it only takes one move." So Jordan is my good friend, but he is Meagan's boyfriend and has a social obligation to cheer for her victory. So while I was racing, I deduced that he was implying that it only takes one move for Meagan to beat me. In my mind, I registered this so I twisted his words to be directed at me, which would change the meaning to "it only take one move to break Meagan." Meagan is one of my best friends in Charlotte and is also my training partner that I haven't ever actually beaten in a race, so I knew that it would be really tough for me to actually break her.

Another hill presented itself to us, and I pushed hard up it and couldn't feel Meagan on my shoulder anymore. You would think that I would have felt this huge rush of relief, but with the way the rest of the race had played out, I was half expecting her to come barreling past me with this phenomenal 800m kick.

After that final uphill, I pushed even harder on the downhills and continued to expand my gap on Meagan and Jackie but wasn't sure as to how much. With about 600 meters left, as I turned into the stadium, I glanced back behind me to gauge how much I was going to need to kick. Someone helped me out and said, "you've got at least 7 seconds on them!" I circled the outfield and felt immense relief as I began to feel confident that I was not going to get passed right on the finish line.

I crossed the line in 28:09, and Meagan followed just five seconds behind, and Jackie two seconds behind her. Meagan fought hard in those final 400m to edge out the 16:34 Jackie. Does that mean that Meagan and I could run a 16:34 on the track right now? I guess we'll just keep on guessing! Heather Magill followed closely behind in 28:42, and Lucinda Hull running 28:45 to round out the top five.

Meagan and I congratulated the other ladies and made our way to the watermelon. We were both pretty happy that we had achieved our goals and that we both had run really tough. Both of us really stuck our noses out there to compete well against some great runners. I was really proud of us for pushing each other to the limit and not letting the large number of women around us freak us out.

John ran 25:15, good for second place, but was a little bummed about his time. He was definitely hoping to run sub-25 but it just wasn't his day. He was happy about the $300 and the lifetime PR!

As I was grabbing my watermelon, Garrett's parents popped out of NOWHERE and surprised me by coming to cheer during the race! Ann even took pictures of the race, which you can see below. It was really nice of them to come say hi before they headed on to Boone for Father's Day.

Meagan and I, the social butterflies that we are, rounded up Jackie, Heather, and Molly to join us for a cool down together. John joined as well and we enjoyed a 9:00 minute paced cool down. Thinking that we had all the time in the world, we barely made the award presentation.

Before long, it was time to head home. Total swag for the Charlotte runners: $1100.

A little over 3 miles, Meagan and I

John somewhere

Pre Race Workout Fun

2011-06-13T18:45:00.000-04:00

Goal:
8-6-4-2 getting faster on each one

Actual:
3.2 miles warmup
Time - Distance - Pace
8:00 - 1.36 - 5:53 (uphill)
6:00 - 1.04 - 5:46 (flat)
4:00 - .75 - 5:20 (flat/downhill)
2:00 - .37 - 5:24 (flat/uphill)
3 miles cool down for 10.6 miles total

This workout was a lot of fun because it featured two people that I don't typically work out with! Alice Rogers and Aaron both came out to my house during the early morning hour of 6am to run down the greenway and onto the Booty Loop for a little pre-race fun. Aaron just wanted to get his wheels rolling for Grandma's Marathon and Alice just wanted to hang out with us before she goes to the Jackson Hole Half Marathon. Will Isenhour met us as well and we all embarked on our warmup together until we made it to the Booty Loop.

There really isn't too much to report except that I ran on feel and effort alone and just wanted to get faster on each interval. The hills were great to run hard on to mentally prepare for the Running of the Bulls 8k rolling course. Overall, my legs felt really good and relatively recovered from the China Grove 5k. I was most surprised that on the cool down they didn't feel as run down as I had expected. The quicker that I recover after work outs indicates how much better shape I am in, so I'm hoping that my legs feel fresh and light tomorrow as I become accustomed to my work out routine.

I am hoping that Alice works out with me more as she begins her training for the Chicago Marathon in hopes to qualify for the Trials. I know she can do it and want to be an integral piece to help her achieve that goal!

Week in Review

2011-06-12T18:45:00.000-04:00

72 Miles
8 Runs
5k Race in 17:21
$200
14 mile long run
4 days in Florida

I started out this week on a perfect note as I spent the first half with Garrett in Orlando. Some of the highlights? We ate delicious vegan food, enjoyed a Cirque du Soleil show, and saw X-Men. One of the reasons why my job is awesome is that I can work from anywhere, so I was able to work remotely from the Holiday Inn in Kissimmee and also spend time with the beau. Of course, my schedule was off so I was getting only 6 hours of sleep since I was still waking up at 6am to beat the heat. By Thursday morning, I was back in Charlotte to get ready for the China Grove 5k.

The rest of the weekend I spent as many waking moments with one of my closest friends, Jay, in an effort to see him as much as possible before he embarks on his New York City journey. I am extremely proud of him for landing such a sweet gig in NYC for the ABC station, but will miss him tremendously. I did manage to get in a long run after a night of mingling with friends at Jay's going away gathering and am now painfully aware of how run down my body and mind feel.

This week I'll focus on getting lots of rest and drinking plenty of fluids to gear up for the Running of the Bulls 8k in Durham.

2011-06-10T23:31:00.001-04:00

Goal:

5 mile tempo

Actual:

am:

3.5 miles

pm:

3.1 miles warmup in 24:00

China Grove 5k Race in 17:21 (5:35, 5:39, 5:33, :33)

2 miles cool down for 8.2 miles total

So I was supposed to do a 5 mile tempo but wanted to carpool to a race with my friends, so I ran a 5k instead. There was also the incentive of cash for the top three overall winners, so that was a no brainer. I spent a little too much money on my mini vacation with Garrett earlier this week so I could use the cash to help cover those expenses!

John, Matt, Boriana, Alice, Lat, Lauren, Jay and I all met at the Dowd YMCA to split up into two different cars to make the 45 minute drive up to China Grove, NC. The race start was at 9pm, and for the first time in my life I did race day registration. I had considered running the mile but I ate a little too much of the Trader Joe's Frosted Wheats to prevent that from actually happening.

After seeing the familiar Charlotte faces of Pete Kaplan, Leonard, Theoden, Allen, and Christina, the Dowd group took off on an entirely social warm up. It was great to be around Alice's never-ending exuberance and energy. She puts a pep into anyone's day, that's for sure.

Soon, we all surrounded Jay's car to put on our flats. John commented to me that his legs felt really flat. I agreed with him about my own. After the standard set of drills and strides, we made our way to the start line. The race was packed with lots of talented runners, especially on the men's side as the mountain folk came down!

After a really long prayer, we were finally off at 9:00PM. My start couldn't have been more perfect. I wanted to go out really relaxed and to run as even as possible. I glanced at my garmin and saw that my overall pace about 600m into the race was around 5:25. I was happy with that because I knew that I would settle into a nice rhythm. I glanced around and noticed a girl that I did not know out in the lead. Lat even pointed her out to me. I told him that she would come back to me. Indeed, I did pass the woman pretty soon after I said I would get her.

I passed Leonard somewhere around the half mile mark and told him some words of encouragement. There was a nice pack of boys at this point so I situated myself on the left to get the shortest tangent possible. After the mile mark, I had already passed the majority of the boys and was left to pick off guys every 10-20 meters. I went through the mile in a perfect pace: 5:35. Admittedly, I did have a sliver of doubt of whether or not I could maintain this pace. My stomach felt bloated and I felt like it was sticking out a ton. Not a great feeling.

As I neared the turnaround, I saw John and screamed that "he could break those guys." I also shouted for Jay and Marchinko as I saw them make their way back to the finish line. Once I finally reached the turn around, I attempted to practice a technique Garrett taught me for making u-turns. He instructed me to swing out wide before the turn and to cut in real quick as you round back in. While I was successful in swinging out wide, I was cut off by another guy cutting the turn way too wide, and had to jump out of his way. I surged after the u-turn because I knew that I had lost some seconds there. Shortly thereafter, I heard Alice scream out for me and I couldn't help notice that she was a bit closer to me than I deemed comfortable. I know that Alice has it in her to fly past me some day, but I didn't want it to be tonight.

Over the last half of the race, I let go of my doubts, forgot about my bloated stomach and felt an overall calm and sense of peace come about me. This hasn't really ever happened to me before and I'm going to have to credit the darkness for having a certain effect on me. I knew that I was running better than I had expected and I really focused on just driving forward and having fun. I passed through the second mile in 5:39 and was pleased I was able to main a pace in the 530s with the u-turn.

After that, I kept picking off all of these guys until I came up one particular man who apparently did not like the idea of having a woman fly past him. He stuck with me and we worked together for the final mile. He did yell out the f-word at one point, which greatly confused me, but I chose to ignore his random outburst over nothing. Soon I could feel him begin to drop off and I told him "Let's go" and he pulled back up alongside me. He kept looking over his shoulder looking for who was behind us and muttering random curse words under his breath. I was tired of his negative and somewhat angry energy so I decided to start kicking it in around 800m to drop him.

With just under 400m to go, Ben Hovis told me to catch David Duggan, my former Wake Forest assistant coach, and I couldn't help but smile because I could see him fading back to me in a way that would make it possible for me to catch him. I had probably passed over 20 people over the course of the entire race, but in the final 100m three different guys BLEW past me as they had a lot more speed in them down that final stretch. I did lower the gap between David and I from 15 seconds to 1 second at the finish line, so I felt like I had accomplished something!

I finished the race in a solid 17:21, which is one of the best summer 5k openers I have ever posted. I'm hoping to break 17 at the Beat the Heat 5k in Winston-Salem, so this gives me confidence that such a feat is possible for me this summer. After taking two down weeks in the last half of May, I haven't even posted that many weeks of high, quality mileage so I know there is lots of room for improvement.

I'm also extremely proud of all of the Charlotte Running Club members who came out. We really showed some great sportsmanship out there and cheered for lots of different people. Even for those of us who came away feeling a little blue about the race, the food and celebration after the party wiped away any disappointed faces as we all mingled together over watermelon, cantaloupe, cookies, pizza and Cheerwine. We also cheered on everyone who received an award from Charlotte and Alice Rogers definitely gets the best cheerleader award.

Enjoy the pictures of the group below.

Jay and I putting on Body Glide

The Charlotte Running Club at China Grove

800m Repeats in Florida

2011-06-07T10:41:00.001-04:00

Goal:
9x800m with 400m jog rest at 240

Actual:
3.1 mile warmup
9x800m with 400m jog rest at 2:40-2:45 in Florida
2.2 miles cooldown for 11.8 miles total

While I thoroughly enjoy and appreciate every moment that I get to spend with Garrett when I visit him, it is always difficult to find the motivation to do work outs when I'm in Florida. I am always torn between spending every possible moment with Garrett and wanting to keep my normal running routine. Of course, it is best to compromise and create a marriage between the two options. After all, during travel it is quite impossible to keep the regular routine and, instead, I make some minor adjustments to account for the change in schedule, diet, and running routes.

This morning was no different in that I yearned to just stay in bed and to skip my work out all together. However, my end goal was in mind so I pulled my mind together and stepped out of bed at 6AM, feeling motivated after revisiting my long term goals for 2011. Meagan Nedlo and I talked about how we want to enjoy every single moment leading up to the Trials and every single moment when we're actually in Houston. Days like this may on unforgotten, but I know that it will help me run what I've set out to on January 14th, 2012.

Soon I was out the door and entering the heat that I'm slowly becoming accustomed to. Actually, the heat here in Florida is not any different than the heat in North Carolina, and I was grateful that the humidity in Florida wasn't exponentially higher than the NC humidity. After a 3 mile warmup, I programmed Mr. Garmin to beep at me every 800m and 400m for the interval and the rest. Mr. Garmin comes in most handy when I'm travelling and am unfamiliar with routes and do not have access to a public track.

I decided to run the roads in Celebration, Florida. With its perfectly manicured lawns and matching architecture on all of the public buildings and residential areas, Celebration is the near equivalent to the town in Stepford Wives. The roads were fairly quiet and I was able to complete all of my intervals without any major interruptions besides running on some grass randomly to avoid oncoming traffic.

While my times weren't speedy, I was pleased with the effort because the terrain varied on each interval as I snaked through the neighborhoods. I was also really thirsty and was able to make it through all 9 intervals without getting any water (this was mostly due to the fact that I did not find a water fountain until the 9th interval). Nevertheless, I completed the entire work out and got in a good amount of mileage in for the day, so I came away feeling satisfied and confident that things are moving in the right direction.

Now I can enjoy the rest of my 48 hours with Garrett before I head back to North Carolina, where I will put all of my energy and focus into running again so that I don't miss Garrett too tremendously, and thereby maintain my sanity. I did this last summer while training for Twin Cities, and such a method worked out quite well for me, both in terms of my running and of my sanity. Due to my training regime, race schedule, and travel plans to visit my family, it is likely that I will not be seeing Garrett again for another two months.

Week in Review

2011-06-05T13:15:00.000-04:00

70 Miles
7 Runs
15 mile long run
2 Ab Sessions

What was the theme for this week? Waking up every single day at 5:40AM to avoid temperatures in the mid-90s. Such an early wake up call was well worth it because each and every day I had someone to run with and I ran temperatures 20 degrees cooler than the afternoon temps.

Overall, after two weeks of not working out, I feel like this was a really successful week of training. I got in two solid workouts and a long run that I felt phenomenal in. I'm ready to test my legs in some shorter races this summer and to build up my speed.

4x1.5 Mile Modified

2011-06-03T12:59:00.000-04:00

Goal:
4x1.5 mile with 300m rest

Actual:
3 miles warmup
3x1.5 mile in 8:48, 8:36, 8:44 with 3:15 jog rest and then 800m in 2:40
2 miles cool down

Last summer I felt like I always had an entourage of people to work out with. Either those people got faster or we are just training for different races. Regardless, my always dependent running buddy, Will Isenhour, was able to make it for this workout. This is always a plus so that I have that extra motivation to get out of bed at 5:30AM to meet him to avoid the summer heat.

As soon as I set foot outside my air-conditioned uptown condo, I was overwhelmed with the thick, moist mass of air that engulfed my body. My body still has not adjusted to the heat and humidity that's been in NC for the past week - highs in the mid 90s with high humidity levels. I knew that it was going to be difficult to tough this one out.

After a 3 mile warmup, Will and I began with the goal of running 6:10 pace (I know, very conservative) and then working our way faster as each interval passed. We went out a little too fast on the first one but we maintained a 5:52 average on the Dilworth Speed Loop. I had cotton mouth the entire way. After a jog rest, we began our second one and I felt fabulous on this one! I ran an even 5:50 pace until the slight downhill at .75 mile and was able to pick my overall pace up to 5:44. I negative split and I felt relaxed. Things were looking good.

I must have used up a lot of my energy on that second one because I struggled on the third one. While I was able to muster a 5:49 pace average, everything was a lot harder: it was hard to pick my knees up high, it was hard to breathe, it was hard not to focus on how terrible the air felt, etc. This slower interval felt harder than my second interval, which was a little bit faster. In the final 400m, I felt like I was going to the well and that my legs were toast. I still wanted to get in at least five miles of workout, so I ran an 800ms in 2:40 and then called it a day.

While I do not always liked adjusting my planned work out, sometimes it is best to be smart and listen to your body. I've been running long enough to know when my body has had enough and I knew when it was time to call it quits today. I still got in 5 miles of quality work and am confident that in just a week's time my body (and mind) will have adjusted to the heat and humidity that is here to stay for the next three months.