NC 8k USATF Champs

Goal:
8k course PR (sub-28:09)

Actual:
3 mile warmup with Stevven
8k race in 27:46 with splits of 5:34, 5:44 (some uphill), 5:23, 5:49 (uphill), 5:15
4 mile cool down for 12 miles total

The main purpose for this race was to come away with some cash and to introduce myself to some triangle runners that can hopefully be my future running partners and friends.   I did exactly that.  I met Tim Meigs - a 47-year-old who beat me by 18 seconds - and met a couple of ladies that live in Durham...And I came home with $500.  

At the start line, I didn't spot any of the familiar faces that typically come out to the NC USATF championships, so I figured it would be a fight with some men near me.  Tim asked me at the start line what I was aiming for, so we decided to work together.  After the gun went off, I found myself sprinting up the 200m hill and gasping for air.  I wondered, what the hell is going on? I felt like my lungs had been punched and the pipe to get air was getting smaller and smaller.  Then I just realized that this is what going out in a sprint start uphill does to you...it makes you feel like you're going to collapse over.  

So after I gathered my breathing into a respectable rhythm, I kept my eyes ahead for guys that had gone out too fast and were already dropping off.  After that, it was mainly a group of 10 or so guys that were competing for the top 5 cash spots.  At the 1 mile marker, Tim commented that I had gone out a little faster than I had told him I wanted to run...And then we surged past me. I was weary about what I thought were the upcoming hills on the course.  Little did I know that they had changed the course to make it a bit faster this year so the hills I had been anticipating in mile 2 were actually not until mile 4. Go figure!

Any way, long story short, Tim maintained a reasonable distance ahead of me and I passed a couple of guys, but one guy did pass me on the long uphill in mile 4.  Then I cruised into the old Durham Bulls stadium and finished faster than I ever have on this course.  It was a good day!

Immediately after the start, a group of ladies had formed and we all decided to cool down together.  Loring lives in Winston-Salem and is trying to better her 2:44 for the Olypmic Trials B Standard.

After a long wait for the awards, I beelined it for the local farmer's market, bought a dozen eggs, and hopped in the car to eat brunch with my in-laws.  I'm excited to move to Durham! Looks like there are lots of great runners that I can train with.

Week in Review

70 Miles
12m MLR
6 x 2min workout
8k in 27:55 @ CRC Winter Classic 8k

This was my first step towards building upon my fitness that was lost during my recovery time after Cal International Marathon.  Taking advantage of the MLK holiday off from work, I started the week with 12 miles at McAlpine with some friends and then completed my first workout back on Wednesday.  Although the workout was really mini (only 6x2 minutes on and off), it was a great way to get the legs moving again.  Then, on Sunday, I completely surprised both myself and my coach by running a 27:55 at the CRC Winter Classic 8k at McAlpine.  In fact, the direct quote from Terry was "Okay so wow. Do not take this the wrong way but I did not see that coming."  Me neither!  My feat here was actually my third fastest 8k ever, which isn't saying much, but it does indicate that I had not lost nearly as much fitness as I had expected over the past six weeks.  Terry agreed:  "You were so good at recovering fully after CIM that I assumed there were would be a decent loss of fitness (but a healthy loss, for sure)."

My splits were promising as well:  532, 537, 527, 541, 535.  While there were muddy sections on miles 2 and 5, it didn't slow me down.  In fact, it really felt more like a road race because all other parts of the course were very fast, with nicely compacted dirt.  Also, this was the most competitive race I've ever competed in Charlotte.  I was 29th and had several guys to chase after throughout the entire race.  There were about 15 guys from Asheville and, to battle them, a slew of Charlotte guys also came out.  In the end, I'm very pleased with where my fitness level is at this point and am excited to get back to my first real week back to training under Terry's guidance!

Main Street Crit 8k Recap

Goal #1:  Top 3 and at least $500 cash
Goal #2:  PR (Sub-27:45)
Goal #3:  26:xx

Actual:
All 3 goals
3.5 miles warmup with strides & drills
8k race in 26:45, 2nd place, $750, results
3.2 miles cool down for ~11.5 miles
Splits for each lap: :31, 2:47, 2:52, 2:55, 2:57, 2:57, 2:59, 2:58, 2:59, 2:55

I walked away from this race with a one minute PR and $750 cash, so there's a lot to be happy about. Going into the race, I knew that Joan Tangwar from the half two week's ago would most likely be here since she discovered that Columbia has some of the best prize money races around. Other than that, I really had no idea what the competition would look like.  I did know that I could control only my training and execute my race plan, which was to go out semi controlled and to try to pick off as many people as possible.

After an early Thanksgiving celebration with my parents and Garrett, we jumped in the car for the quick drive to Columbia.  I scoped out my competition, which at this point seemed to be limited to just guys.  At one point, I saw Allison Grace (former Zap Fitness member) and a couple unfamiliar faces.  After my first lap of warmup, I watched as several Africans, including Joan and three other women, climbed out of a ten-passenger van.  They all come from the Chapel Hill Marathon Guide team, and I just hoped that I could beat at least half of them.  After a longer warmup, we got escorted over the start line and I situated myself right in between Joan's posse and Allison Grace.  I exchanged a couple words with Allison before we were off.

As expected, the Chapel Hill group all took off like crazy, and Allison and I settled into a nice rhythm for the first lap (only 8 more to go!).  I had no idea what my time meant and decided to disregard it for the rest of the race.  After the first lap, I passed Allison and then set my eyes on Joan, who was up ahead.  It took me two more laps to catch up to her, and I finally passed her on the 4th lap.  She didn't even respond when I passed her, so I knew she was hurting.  After I passed Joan, there was only one more woman to pass to be in first place (or so I thought--I actually was in third place at this point, but the lead woman was so far ahead I didn't even know she was there).  After the 4th lap, I was about 6 seconds behind the next woman, and by the 8th lap, I was only 2 seconds behind.  During the 9th lap, I contemplated sitting on her shoulder for a bit, but then, after a quick battle ensued, I accelerated on one of the turns and effectively dropped her.  At the same time, I began to get lapped by the lead male runners and I fretted that it would be my female competitors, but it wasn't.  As I passed through for the bell lap, the male runners who had just finished in 4th place had collapsed right in front of me, so I had to hop over them to continue on my merry way.  I caught the time on the clock--around 23:50 something, so I realized that I had quite a good chance of breaking 27:00 for the first time.  My stomach hurt a little bit on that last lap and I wasn't sure if I needed to vomit or something else.  Fortunately, neither happened, and I was able to keep my early Thanksgiving lunch in my stomach.

As I rounded the final turn into the finish, I thought for sure that I had won and smiled very big in the final stretch, both for my "win" and my PR.  After I came through, Garrett congratulated me on $750, and I said, "NO, $1000."  That's when I found out that I was actually second and that the leader had been about 30 seconds ahead of me.  Regardless, I was still very pleased.  It's nice to start my taper on such a high note and with such a big PR in the 8k.  I know that these shorter races are much different than the marathon, but if anything, they've been an indicator that my fitness is where it should be and that I can execute a great marathon plan if everything falls together correctly.

I cooled down with Joan and learned a little bit about her life, which is very interesting. She has a degree in Biology but now lives in Chapel Hill and races practically every weekend.  Her legs were very tired today, which is why she couldn't respond to me today. Her whole family is still in Kenya, except for her sister.  I definitely couldn't race every weekend and left feeling very fortunate that I have a job that allows me to pay the bills and to selectively choose which races I want to peak at.

NC USATF 8K Champs

Goal:
Run strategically to win

Actual:
3 mile warmup with Marley
8k Race in 28:40 w/ splits of (5:32, 5:42, 5:47, 5:45, 5:49)
1st place, $1000
2.3 miles warmup for 10.3 total

Garrett and I headed to Greensboro on Friday afternoon for my first road race in Greensboro ever.  I've basically run in all the other major cities of North Carolina, but for some odd reason Greensboro never came onto my radar for other races.  The Gate City 8k event director is trying to create North Carolina's premier race here in the heart of the Gate City, and they did not fail to impress.  The race provided all the elites several perks besides just a deep prize purse:  Garrett and I shared a king size room on the 23rd floor of the Sheraton.  We attended a dinner banquet at the Sedgefield Country Club, where the ACC was founded.  They cooked us made-to-order spaghetti with all the vegetables and sauces you could imagine. The best part was the three-tiered dessert table with an assortment of sweets including, but not limited to:  chocolate chip cookie bars, cheesecake, key lime pie, boston creme pie, pecan pie and more cookies. Finally, they gave us picture books from a famous NC water color artist for awards.

After conversing with USATF LDR Chairs, Andrew Allden and Molly Nunn at the country club lobby, Garrett and I seated ourselves with Marley, Brock and his girlfriend, and Joel Tull, my former massage therapist from WFU.  We ate the delicious food and had too much of the delectable desserts  while the Mayor of Greensboro, an accomplished runner himself, talked to us about the event.

Race morning came and went without a hitch, with my trusty sidekick Garrett along for the ride and for general assistance.  He waited in the car while Marley and I warmed up for the race together, discussing our race plans and just catching up.  After putting on my race flats (I opted for my Nike Marathoners instead of the Flyknits so that my legs wouldn't feel so fatigued like they did two weeks ago), I headed to the start line.  I ran into John Hinton and asked him what pace he was looking for because he typically beats me at these things, but he said he wasn't in as good of shape.  Then, I spotted Bill and asked him the same thing.  He said quite frankly that he just didn't know.  Well, he did just run a 2:46 marathon a couple weeks ago!

The Mayor of Greensboro said "Ready, Set..." and then a girl sprinted off for what they would call a false start in track..and then he fired the gun, where everyone else took after the girl.  One of the elite women took off hard, and I settled in a safe distance of about 10 feet behind her.  Marley and two other girls were on my shoulder, as well as John Hinton and Bill.  The first mile was entirely downhill and after I passed the first mile mark, I made a slight move to drop my female counterparts and continued on the rest of the exceptionally hilly course, side by side with Bill.  I pushed on the first big uphill, and on the corresponding downhill, let out an audible sigh of relief, to which Bill responded, "Don't give up and Don't give in."  I grunted in response.

Bill and I continued to play cat and mouse for basically the rest of the course.  I would push on the uphill, settle on the downhills, as he pushed past me on the downhills.  The whole race I felt rather terrible and by mile 3 I just kept repeating to myself: Race hard and race fast.  Mile 3 passed by and I wished we didn't have another loop before heading back downtown.  I could already see the big buildings and wanted to take the direct route rather than the loop around a small park.  During the fourth mile, we went up yet another large, steep hill and Bill really gapped me here.  I truly thought I was going to die here, but I think my repetitive mantra inspired me to speed up and tuck in right behind him.  With less than a half mile to go, it was all uphill to the finish.  Somehow I powered past Bill even though I felt awful.  My stomach was hurting bad and I just felt tired.  I crossed the finish line a mere 2 seconds ahead of him and was so grateful for the finish.  Had Bill not been there, I definitely would have been hard pressed to run sub 29:00.

The next female racer, Ginny Cronley, wasn't too far behind in 28:56 and then 3-5 were very close together at around 30:xx.  It will be exciting to compete with Ginny at other NC USATF races as she may be inclined to participate in the Endurance Series, like I am.  What I really love about this series is that it brings out new talent that I can compete with.  Sometimes I'll lose, sometimes I'll win, but either way, I know that there will always be incentive for younger talent to come out and compete hard.

Overall, I'm pleased that I executed a race strategy that allowed me to win and bring home $1000 for the family slush fund.  I am not thrilled with my mentality during the race, which was rather negative through miles 2-4.  Hills are definitely not my strength right now, which is understandable, but I need to be tougher on those types of courses.  Looking forward to my next one!

Kinston 8000m Race

Goal:
8k race in sub 28:09 + win prize money

Actual:
3 miles warmup + race drills
8k race in 27:45 w/ course marker splits of 5:33, 5:56, 5:34, 5:22, 5:16
1st place, $500
3 miles cool down with Kris Vegh for ~11 miles total

The small field of sub-elite runners in the state of NC take care of each other and make sure that we know where the prize money races are throughout the state.  A couple years ago, Devin Swann informed me of a fast race, the Kinston 8000m, in Eastern NC that paid three deep.  My friend and former NC resident, Heather Magill, had won the Kinston 8000m three times in a row and so had Devin, so I figured that I would finally take a stab at running it as well.  After all, Garrett's parents only live 40 minutes outside of Kinston and I needed a flat course to help boost my confidence.  I was in!

Garrett and I got on the road in the early afternoon in hopes of beating some of the traffic so that we could make an early dinner in Raleigh with Michelle, Thomas, and (surprise) Meagan!  We made it to Raleigh in time to enjoy about 10 different 8-piece sushi rolls split between basically four adults.  Somehow we spent over $150 on sushi and, more importantly, consumed 95% of it.  It's always a special treat to catch up with Meagan and Michelle and I couldn't help but keep thinking of what they looked like in red wigs (flashback to my bachelorette weekend in Raleigh).   After a couple of laughs and a couple of glasses of wine for Meagan, Garrett and I got on the road again.  We arrived at Garrett's parent's house and I basically went directly to bed.

Flash forward to race morning, where Ann and Scott drove me to the race in Kinston in time for a nice warmup.  Immediately, I surveyed my competition.  First, I saw Kris Vegh get out of her car and was both happy and dismayed at the sight of her because I like her very much as a person, but I also knew that she'd beaten me at the USA Half Champs.  I immediately went up to her and asked if we could warmup together, where I discovered that she had just run a 1:16 at Shamrock half six days prior and that she had basically the same race plan as me -- that is, to go out conservatively in 5:40 and gradually get faster.  She also told me that a Kenyan was there and I immediately recognized her name, Divina Jepkogei.  I felt certain that she had beaten me, albeit by very small margins, in past races, and immediately resolved to beat her.  

I finally toed the line next to Kris, and the director yelled "Go!" and we were off on the perfectly flat course.  I settled into a nice rhythm in the middle of Kri and Divina.  We were running three abreast on the wide street, and I just relaxed next to them.  My Garmin had our lap pace as 5:40, so I felt very good about our start.  Then, of course, we came through the course marker in 5:33.  The next mile, we turned down the main street of Kinston, and the three of us were still running side by side.  After I saw the 2 mile split of 5:56, I told myself that I didn't come here to tempo, and immediately began to push the pace.  Kris and Divina stayed with me through about 2.5 miles We rounded a left turn through a neighborhood, and I put on another surge through the turn.  I couldn't help but think that all the practice for a proper u-turn technique for the Olympic Trials Marathon course finally was coming in handy!  I could sense that Divina was falling slightly off and kept going. After that dismal 2 mile split, I stopped looking at my watch.  I did listen for my 4 mile split - 22:27 - which was a 4 miler PR.  I still had no idea if I was going to break 28:00 and honestly, after the 2 mile split, I thought there was no chance.  By the final mile, I could tell that no one was within reaching distance to me unless they unleashed a killer kick, so I tried to use my own motivation to keep me powering through.  There weren't any men within distance that I could use as bait, so I just pushed hard.  Right before the finish, I passed Mother Earth Brewery, and silently thanked them for providing beer for my wedding.  I crossed the finish line in 27:45, with a 24 second PR and earning $500.  

Considering that I've reduced my mileage by about 25%, I am absolutely thrilled that I was able to PR in basically my first real race back since the Army Ten Miler.  For the first time in over 9 months, I felt hungry for competition and enjoyed fighting for a top place.  I'm also very pleased with the faster splits in the last half of the race.  I basically ran some of the fastest mile splits I've seen in a race in a couple of years.  Now I really want to jump into a 5k so that I can break 17:00!!!

Finally - my Garmin splits were a bit more accurate than my manual splits...They were 5:40, 5:42, 5:32, 5:18, 5:16  - which shows a nice progression.

Week in Review

60 Miles
12 Mile Long Run
8k Race in 29:32
7 runs
1 Lift session
1 Deep Stretch Class
1 Mobility Class

I hadn't planned on racing the CRC 8k, but after the gun went off and my legs felt good, I decided to.  I had contemplated running with Anna and holding hands as we crossed the finish line, but my competitive spirit got the best of me and I decided to take advantage of this situation to test my fitness.  I went through the first mile with Ben Hovis' high school star, Emma, on my right shoulder.  We came through in a relaxed 6:01.  I didn't want to run over 30:00 for this race, so I set my sights on the guys in the club that I normally beat and tried to catch them.  Mile 2: 5:57.  By the 2.5 mile marker, I had caught Matt Rich and John Fillette.  Up until that point, I had several men to set as targets to reach, but after that, it was somewhat lonely.  There was a pack of guys about 200m in front of me, so I kept driving my pace to pass them.  Mile 3:  5:54, Mile 4: 5:55.  I passed all the people who were within a reasonable distance of me and continued to pass more in the last mile.  I felt relaxed until the fifth mile and began to feel fatigued before crossing the finish line in 29:32.

While I would have liked this effort to feel a little bit easier than it actually did, I am quite happy with where my fitness stands right now.  Over the past three months, I've averaged under 40 miles a week and haven't done any real workouts.  This race effort only puts me 83 seconds from my 8k PR, which I hope to break this year.

Additionally, I was able to hit 60 miles and still put in a decent race effort.  I plan to stick between 60-70 miles for the next couple of months so that I can stay healthy and avoid overtraining.  I may perhaps do a Fall marathon, but we'll see how this spring training segment goes before making any decisions.

Running of the Bulls 8k Recap

Goal #1:  8k PR (sub-28:09)
Goal #2:  $500 race earnings

Actual:
3 mile warmup
Goal #2 Achieved
8k race in 28:32 with splits of 5:52, 5:24, 5:44, 6:00, 5:29
2+ miles cool down for 10 miles total

I can't complain too much because I walked away from this race with an extra $500 in my pocket.  However, I went into this race feeling like I was fit and wanting to PR.  Little did I know that the competition this year would be pathetic compared to last year.  Laura Paulsen, who beat me by almost a full minute at the NC 4 Mile Champs in March, proved to be my closest competition, finish in 28:54.  Last year, the top five women were all under 28:45.  The weather was even much better this year than last year!  You can see the evolution of my splits below, but what I'd like to highlight is the fact that my splits slid considerably during miles 4 and 5 as compared to last year.  I can tell you exactly what happened...After I discovered that the win was handily in the bag, I decided to slow it down and just cruise in.  I hate doing this.  I really wish I had committed to sticking on John Hinton's butt the entire race (who finished in 28:05).  Instead, I knew I was going to win $500, so I didn't push as hard.

2012 | 2011 | 2010
5:52  | 5:49   | 5:48
5:24  | 5:23   | 5:37
5:44  | 5:51   | 5:59
6:00  | 5:49   | 6:01
5:29  | 5:14   | 5:34

The race went out comfortable and controlled, and I made sure that Laura was in sights.  After all, she had beaten me by so much just a couple months ago.  John Hinton situated himself behind us as well and Laura and I charged ahead.  Our first mile was slow and so I decided to pick it up and use the downhill to my advantage. I gapped Laura a little here, but John was still on my shoulder.  After we passed the two mile mark, there is a steep hill.  John passed me some on this portion, but he was still within sight.  By three miles, John had gained a sizable gap on me, but I had gained a sizable gap on Laura.  The dreaded fourth mile, which is pretty much all uphill, came and went.  Instead of charging up the hill with command, like I did last year in an attempt to shake Jackie Kirby and Meagan, I succumbed to the gravity pulling me back down the hill and slowed down quite too much.  As I rounded one of the turns to make the way back towards the Durham Bull stadium, I could tell by the cheers that Laura was far back.  Instead of pushing it in as hard as possible, I cruised in relaxed and didn't even try to kick in the finish.

After the race, I introduced myself to Laura and convinced her to come cool down with John and I.  Laura was a fifth year at Duke this past year and is moving to Minnesota for some sort of medical program.  It was great to get to know her better and I knew that if she had been training more over the past couple of weeks, she would have been an even match for me.  Regardless, I'm happy with the money that I'll hopefully be receiving in the mail soon, but dissatisfied with my reasoning to slow down.  A race is a race, and I toed that line to run the best that I could that day, and I didn't give it my all.  My motivation to give it everything I've got will definitely be there at the USA Half Champs in just two weeks!

NC USATF 8k Championships Recap

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

Running of the Bulls 8k Race Recap

This weekend felt like the hottest weekend of 2010 in North Carolina. On Saturday, the temperatures were already above 85 degrees around 8am, with the humidity levels equivalent to those in a steam bath in an upscale spa. Despite these conditions, 700 people still came out to participate in the Running of the Bulls 8k in Durham, NC.

Since the race was in Durham, I decided that it would be most fun to drive up the night before and spend the night with my old teammate/roommate from Wake Forest, Erin. It was so great catching up with her on Friday night. I was most grateful to sleep the extra 2 hours that I would have missed had I driven up from Charlotte that morning. Unfortunately, my sore throat made it very difficult for me to sleep soundly, and I woke up about every hour and finally woke up 15 minutes before my alarm at 5:30.

After completing the tasks of eating my oatmeal, putting on my race gear, and braiding my hair, I suddenly was hit with a wave of panic. I was worried that my sore throat would make it difficult for me to breathe, or that my lack of sleep would make me feel lethargic and slow. I immediately shoved these thoughts aside and reminded myself of my goal: have fun competing!

Once at the Downtown Durham YMCA, I picked up my race bib which was gigantic because it had the chip behind the bib. I was very happy that I had decided to wear my Nike Mid-Airborne top because it was large enough for me to pin it on. Had I worn my Charlotte Running Club sports bra, I would have had to wear a t-shirt because the bib was too large for it. Considering the amount that I sweat, a t-shirt would NOT have been a pleasant option.

Bill Shires and I warmed up about 20 minutes together and then I did some light strides and drills, both in my trainers and in my racers. At this point, my shorts were soaked through with enough sweat that I could have rung them out and filled up a small glass with my sweat. Perhaps a bit too descriptive, but it is a good way to illustrate just how hot it was at the start of the race.

The gun went off right after the race director explained that riders from the DurhamCares Race Across America team would be our race escorts on the course. That sounded pretty cool, but I didn't know just how cool/helpful that team would prove to be until I was well into the race.

The start of the race was similar to the CPCC Skyline start, with a hill in the first 400m. Once I crested that hill, I relaxed and settled into a rhythm, settling myself comfortably behind two of the best male masters runners in the state. I felt controlled, but was not sure of the pace until I hit the mile mark, coming through in a perfect 548.

The second mile was basically downhill, and I was still latched to the masters and a couple of other young guys. Bill Shires began to drop off and I offered some words of encouragement to him to get him to attach himself to me. He had just come back from a whole week at Disney World, so I'm sure his legs were screaming at him. I could feel all of the guys' sweat flying onto my legs and face, but it didn't matter. I was pretty sure my sweat was flying off onto another racer as well so I figured it all evened out. Mile 2 - 537

The third mile is when John Hinton and several other guys separated from me, and I was left with two other guys. There were several hills in this mile, and one of my running buddies dropped off in the bigger hill. It ended up just being a guy in a red shirt, myself, and a biker escort who proved to be extremely encouraging from this mile and on. I'm not sure if he was tasked to bike alongside the first woman, but he stuck with me and red shirt guy the rest of the way home. I found out later that the escort's name was Henry Kaestner. He leads the DurhamCares team. In this mile, he told me that the next girl was more than 300m back, which was encouraging because I was hurting now. Due to the sore throat, I was breathing heavier than normal as I felt like the passageway was much smaller than it should be. Red Shirt guy and I came through this mile in 559.

The fourth mile was almost the same as the one prior, with a good uphill that took us back into Downtown Durham. At this point, my racing buddy almost fell off of me, and I did not want to be in no-man's land, so I told him to "Let's go" and he latched on again. We pretty much ran side by side or I tucked in behind him for the remainder of the race. Again, Henry was offering lots of encouragement and telling us to work up the hill and use our arms. With a split of 6:01, you can tell that the hills and the heat took a toll on us.

The last mile was much better because it was flat/downhill and the finish was so close. Red shirt guy began to pull away with 800m to go, but Henry stuck with me and told me "You've definitely got the win, but pretend like you don't know that and push it girl!" It was so nice and motivating. I mumbled a "thanks" and promised myself that I would try to find him afterward to thank him for all of his help. I turned into the old Durham Bulls stadium and ran around to the finish, clocking a 534 last mile and a 28:59 finish time. All I could think about at that point was water, but it was another 200m away so I made a mad dash to get myself hydrated again.As I was stuffing my face with watermelon, a woman named Tiffany approached me and asked me to cool down with her. I graciously accepted! In the course of the cool down, we found about five more girls to join us including some Duke girls I used to compete against -Elle Pishny and Liz Wort - and Molly Nunn, Heather Magill. It was great to have such friendly companions on the run and to learn more about what they all do.

Right after the awards, my mystery escort approached me and I told him thanks. I asked about his trek across the USA and I told him that I was very much inspired. He told me that I had inspired him! It was really cool to see that we were both helping the other out and didn't even know it.

Although the course is hilly and the race is in the beginning of June, the Bull City Running Company did a great job managing the race, kept the course well-marked with large arrows to prevent getting lost, and provided delicious post race grub. It was also convenient to have access to the restrooms and showers in the YMCA. I would recommend this race to those from the Charlotte region!

Winter Flight

(L-R: Molly Nunn, Caitlin Chrisman, Jay Holder, Boriana B, Bert Rodriguez cool down)

Might want to grab a drink. This is going to be a long one.

Doing the first race of your new training cycle is like going on a date with a beautiful someone.

Think about it.

You get nervous for the date because you have absolutely NO IDEA if the beautiful someone likes you. You contemplate all the 1943734986 different scenarios of how the date could potentially play out. If the date goes bad, you want to get over with it sooner. If the date goes great, you never want it to end. After the date, everyone calls you to see how you liked it, how it went, and if you think you'll do it again. Afterwards, you think of what you could have done different to make the beautiful person like you more or what you did wrong or what went great. You could also say that you feel successful at the end of the date if you get a kiss - the trophy of the date! :o)

Now apply this to your first race in over three months. You get really nervous for the race because you have NO IDEA what kind of racing shape you are in. You contemplate the 21433934 different races strategies that could happen. If the race goes bad, you want it to end ASAP but you know that it won't since you are probably running slower and want to keel over onto the side of the road. If the race goes great, you still do want it to end, but not so much the post-race festivities (especially if there is free beer). After the race, all of your friends call you, facebook you, text you to see how it went and if you would run that race course again. Using your running sense, you analyze every single aspect of the race: your mind, the course, the organization, the food, the awards...and the list goes on...At the end, you anxiously await to discover whether or not you will be receiving an overall or an age group trophy.

In so many ways, I had my first blind date with a road race in over three months yesterday in Salisbury at the Winter Flight 8k. There is something truly unique about racing that allows you to truly put your fitness to a test and to prove that the training has paid off. As far as I could tell, yesterday proved successful for most everyone in the Charlotte Running community who raced.

To start from the beginning, my team of Boriana and Jay met in the parking lot to pick up our race packets. Immediately we saw a slew of Charlotte running people who were out there to cheer us all on, which was extremely exciting. Like a true teammate, since the day boasted temperatures in the upper 60s, Jay was kind enough to bring his sport sunscreen so that this semi-albino's skin would not burn during the race. Teammate #2, Boriana, was also kind enough to let us store our stinky shoes in her car and be our driver for the day's activities.

After lathering up, we were off for the warmup. Knowing that we all had the support from our fellow countrymen, I began feeling excited to put everything on the line. Although my legs did not feel fantastic on the warmup, that is typically the way I like to start a race (never have raced well when my legs feel fan-freaking-tastic in the warmup). I will admit that I had several different doubts going through my head during this time. I was wondering if my breathing would be okay because my throat seemed really tight, as though I was coming down with a bad head cold. I pushed these thoughts aside because I really knew that the most important task at hand was to race to best of my potential on that day given the circumstances.

We made it to the start line to check out our competition. It looked like there were at least four girls who looked capable to run sub-30:00. Alana and I situated ourselves behind Bill Shires and, although it was hard to hear, the National Anthem was played. Immediately before the gun, we all gave each other a fist slap (is that what it's called??) as good luck. The race director blew the horn and we were off!

I could feel two people on my shoulder and instead of worrying about that, I focused on staying relaxed through the first mile. I settled into a groove with Molly, some guy in a red shirt, and Alana. It was nice to settle in behind red shirt guy so that I could get a slight break from the wind. First mile: 5:44. Perfect - ish. After a while I could feel the pace slowing and knew I needed to make a move to maintain the pace I wanted - 5:50s. Luckily, after the first mile, there was a decent downhill, which is where I pushed down and left the red shirt guy and the two girls. I said good job in my mind to them!

After the move, there were two other guys about 20 meters ahead that I could focus on for the next two miles over the rolling hills. I got a boost of energy when I saw Chris Jones and Todd Mayes at the top of the second big hill, especially because they told me that it flattened out from there. Thanks Chris and Todd!

However, I rounded one other turn and then there was a hill, or two, or three...again. I chuckled to myself, but instead of worrying about the hills, I focused on the guy that I was reeling in. I ran my fastest miles during four (5:40) and five (would have been 5:44), mainly due to the fact that I caught the guy that had been in sixth place and was trying to catch the guy in fifth place (never did). After running up the 400m hill in the last mile, we turned back into the Catawba campus, where a beautiful downhill awaited the runners before they entered the track for the finish. Running onto the track was fun and I felt fantastic considering it was fairly hot and the course a bit hillier than I had expected. As I rounded the last turn on the track, I saw my time ticking away the seconds - 28:37, 28:38, 28:39 - and I pushed harded so that I would get my reach goal of 28:50-ish.

As I stumbled through the chute, I was directed to a table where a woman wrote down my name and time with a pen on a piece of paper. Very old school, but very cool at the same time. I felt like I was in high school again. I met up with Jay and Bert and we waited for the next Charlotte crew. We cheered in Alana, Molly, Chad, Allen, Boriana, Larry, and Scott.

My favorite part of the race was cooling down with Molly, Alana (for a bit), Jay, Boriana, and Bert. It was refreshing to know that everyone else didn't feel like going faster than 8 minute pace on our cool down and also that none of else wanted to run up another hill. It was great to share stories of how everyone felt at different parts of the race, especially for Jay since he literally had NO ONE to race with the entire time.

The awards ceremony took place in the college gym and the trophies were probably the biggest I've ever seen. I did come away with $100 so I'm only $1400 away from my goal race earnings for the year. :o)

Really Big Trophies

While the majority of the success stemmed from the individual efforts each person has exerted over the past months in their own training, I also believe that a part of that success may also be attributed to the amazing support that was out there on Sunday (and Saturday too at Cupid's Cup!). The list of people who came just to watch was extensive: Théoden Janes, Chris Jones, Todd Mayes, Garrett Bullock, Lauren Robbins, the Hadley family, Terri Nunn, Kathy Seavers, and there were probably even more people that I didn't know their names! Clearly, what we've got going on in the Charlotte Running community is just amazing. Every person is so supportive, encouraging, and enthusiastic about everyone else's success that it feels like we all make up a very large family.