16 Mile Long Run w/ Tempo

Goal:
5k Race Rumba on the Lumber

Actual:
No race
16 miles with 4 miles at 607 pace

So as of last night, I was supposed to do the Rumba on the Lumber 5k in Lumberton, NC.  In fact, we were even going to get a hotel for Friday night and stay over so that we could sleep in.  Well, by Thursday night, I had already nixed the idea of getting a hotel room because it was too much for my taste.  Then, by Friday night, I had nixed the idea of going to the race altogether because of two main things:  (1) the prize money was not $500 for the win as I thought and was instead $250 and (2) because of the reduced prize money, the cost / benefit analysis came out negative, when factoring in time lost to drive there.  So, we scrapped the plan to go to the race, and instead I made plans with Matt to run with a group at McMullen.

Now back to this morning, it was 8AM and I still had two hours before our run with Caleb and Danielle. I looked out the window, and it was snowing. No big deal.  An hour later, the snow flakes had tripled in size and were coming down in larger numbers.  I made a point on our Facebook thread that the wooden pathways at McMullen would be very slick for a tempo, and Caleb immediately made fun of me for being a weakling.  Once we got to McMullen though, Caleb realized that I had been right and we had to make a change to the tempo course to avoid the slick boards.

Going easy on the boards was just fine, just a little slick, but no big deal.  However, when picking up the pace, it definitely would have been difficult, so instead we did two loops around the church for a total of four miles before Caleb kept going straight on Pineville Matthews.  We hit splits of 6:15, 5:58, 6:15, 5:58 for each uphill/downhill mile. After the long run was over, I realized that we had averaged 7:05 pace for the easy portion of the run, which was definitely satisfying to see as that did not feel hard at all.  Unconsciously, I was pushing the pace so that I could warm my legs up which seemed to be absolutely freezing the entire time the snow was falling.

Although I scrapped a race, I was happier with the long run because it will prepare me for a solid half in the summer.

3x2 Mile

Goal:
3x2 Mile with 2:00 Rest at 600-555-550 pace

Actual:
2.7 mile warmup
3x2 mile with 2:00 rest
11:36 (5:50/5:46)
11:31 (5:46/5:45)
11:17 (5:40/5:37)
2.3 mile cool down for 11 miles total

Just like last Tuesday, Caleb, Charlie, Brad and I rolled out of bed to meet at the speed loop for some 2 mile repeats.  We had a guest appearance from Jaskot, which was a appreciated addition to the group, especially for me.  The weather was pleasantly perfect, with temps in the upper 40s and little wind.  We started and the boy immediately took off ahead of me, as I settled into what felt like a comfortable pace with Matt.  After 3/4 of a mile, Matt had fallen off my pace, and I was still 10-15 meters behind Caleb and Charlie.  I finished with a solid time and made it my goal to continue to get closer to Charlie and Caleb. By the second interval, I had closed the gap from 10 meters to 5 meters.  At the start of the third, they weren't too far ahead of me, so I made a move to charge a couple of strides to tuck in directly behind them.  I stayed with both of them through 1.5 miles and then Charlie and I began to pull away from Caleb.  I felt absolutely great the entire workout and was pleased to close in such a solid time.

What I liked most about this workout was that I was basically alone for the first four miles of the workout and still found the motivation within myself to push hard.  Last fall, I really struggled with this mental tenacity and I feel really confident that my mentality is finely tuned again!  This also proves that running 60-65 miles a week is really enabling me to bring my quality back to what it should be.

5 Mile Wave

Goal:
5 Mile Wave at 3:00-3:05/2:45-2:50

Actual:
2-ish warmup
3:03/2:53
3:02/2:54
2:58/2:51
2:59/2:55
2:59/2:53
2 mile cool down

14.5 miles for the day

I've been spending so much time watching the Olympics that I haven't been going to bed at a reasonable hour, so needless to say that when my alarm went off, I wasn't having any of it.  So, I just did a short double and then texted Matt to see if he wanted to workout in the evening.  Matt is almost always guaranteed to be willing to workout in the evening.  I wasn't feeling too hot, so when we went to the Dilworth Speed Loop, I just figured that I would go on feel and try to not focus on the time.

We started out and Matt would be a little ahead of me on the fast, and then I would get a little ahead of him on the easy part.  Essentially, I should have slowed down more on the easy portions of this workout, but I felt good so I just kept going.  Matt dropped off after 4 miles, so I was left solo for the final mile.  In the end, I didn't hit the goal times for the fast portion, but I also went too fast for the easy portion.

Change of Plans - 20x1 Min

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.

Ukrop's 10k Race Recap

Goal:  
Top 7 and 35:45

Actual:
3 mile warmup
10k race in 35:43 (18:02, 17:41) with mile splits of 5:42, 5:47, 5:54, 5:45, 5:45, 5:39, :69 for 12th place overall female
2.5 mile cooldown for ~11.5 miles total

Just glancing at the breakdown of events above, it is clear that I made a conscious decision after the 5k mark of this race to get my rear in gear and pick it up a bit.  I'll get to that later though...

After packing for much warmer weather than what actually was the case in Richmond, I loaded my things into my car on Thursday night and drove up to Matt's parent's house to spend the first night of my Richmond adventure there.  I am extremely grateful for Matt's parent's generosity as this was my second time staying there for a race. 

On Friday, I picked up my race bib and number.  Luckily for me, the Elite Race Coordinator Thom was holding my race bib and chip at the Double Tree downtown so that we could avoid the traffic near the expo for the 42,000 person race.Thom was so helpful.  He told me about the women's field, during which I made a silent mental note to myself that getting top 7 was not going to be realistic any more. They provided me with a room to myself that was only three blocks from the start and one block from the finish.  It was such a great opportunity and I thank the Richmond Road Runners and Road Runner for their support during this race.

Race morning finally came and I warmed up 20 minutes with Paul.  I met another guy who is the Treasurer of the Richmond Road Runners and he held our bags at the start line so we could dump our clothes into them.  I was stupid enough to think that it would actually be warm in Richmond this weekend, so I didn't bring much in terms of cold weather gear.  I only had my Craft tights and a GoreTex shirt that Jordan had given to me.  Usually I don't write much about the gear I wear, but I was so impressed with how it blocked the cold wind from getting to my skin!  We had a pretty nasty headwind on the first mile of our warmup, and I felt all cozy and warm with just the shirt on and nothing else.  Too bad they don't carry GoreTex in any of the Charlotte Running stores.  Jordan tells me my best bet is at the Fleet Feet in Winston-Salem.

Showing off my new Gore Tex shirt pre-race

After lots of drills and strides, I put on my Zoom Marathoners and stood in the Elite corral.  I met Emily Potter again (US Army Athlete of the Year) and exchanged some pleasantries with her.  A tall, slender woman looked at me and said "I need to run 5:45 pace" and situated herself behind the first row of Kenyan runners.  I told her I was hoping to do the same.  We decided to try to work together for as long as we could.  I learned later that she is Samia Akbar, a 2:34 Marathoner.  I'm sure I'll be seeing her at the Trials!

I also wished Megan Wright good luck - last year's winner.  She went to WVU and is Canadian.  She was really nice.  I saw her at the turn around and wished that I could look as speedy as her at the 4 mile mark of a 10k.  In case you wondering, Megan ended up winning and Samia surpassed her goal of running 5:45 pace. 

The race went off with a uneventful "Runners, set, go" by a woman.  Samia and I situated ourselves in such a way that we were getting passed left and right from the male runners from the A corral.  I glanced at my Garmin about 800m and saw 5:20 pace and eased off the pace a little bit. I didn't want to get myself into oxygen debt 1 mile in.  

Mile 1:  5:42...Perfect.
The perfect pace, but I wasn't feeling too good. I could feel the slight incline affecting me.  I accidentally spit on a guy and actually cared...If I was really focused I would have ignored it.  

Mile 2 - 5:47...Slowing down.
I told myself it was just the slight incline and that the next mile I would be back on the 5:45 goal pace.  Samia had already gapped me by about 5-10 meters, so I could tell she was right on the target pace that I was supposed to be at too.


Mile 3 - 5:54...What?
I saw this mile split and lost a breath or two.  A few strides later, I crossed the 5k mark and saw my watch tick 18:02.  I started calling myself bad names.  I cursed myself, and thought (clean version):  "Caitlin you came here to run sub-36 and you are not going home without that.  So pick it up."  Guess what?  I did.  I listened to myself.  I willed myself to pick it up and to achieve my goal.  Ok - so maybe the slight decline also helped me pick it up, but at least I made the decision to actually start trying. 

Mile 4 - 5:45...Here we go
I found a guy wearing a Fleet Feet Winston Sale jersey and vowed that he would not beat me.  He was my bait.

Mile 5 - 5:45...Even.
I kept my eyes glued to a guy wearing a blue jersey.  I eventually caught him and then surpassed him.

Mile 6 - 5:39...Rolling
I passed 4-6 guys here, but I think that they all passed me in the final 400m as they went to their sixth gear and I switched to a measly third gear.  

Finish - 35:43. 
I crossed the finish line, stopped, bent over, and then suddenly gagged. I was able to hold back for the first gag, but for the second gag, I actually threw up. I hadn't done that since the Adidas National Track Meet in 2003.  I was slightly embarassed so I stopped myself from throwing up more (I definitely had some left), grabbed my bag from the Elite guy, and found Paul.  I didn't want to face anyone who may have seen me throw up, and fortunately Paul missed it.  I'm waiting for the professional photos to come out so I can see if my fine moment was caught mid-stream.

Yes, I did achieve a PR but I wish I had stayed more laser focused for the first 3 miles of this race and gotten closer to 35:10.  I didn't commit myself to the first three miles of the race, and I paid for it in the final 3 miles.  However, I am proud of myself for making a decision to stop being a baby and to really race with all my heart.  

All in all, I am pleased with this effort right now, especially given how my training was off to a rough start for the first 8 weeks of 2011.  I want to be able to run my marathon at 6:00 pace, and this is a stepping stone to get me there.  I think it is a good indicator that I will be able to run sub-6:05 pace at the USA25k Champs in May.  I would definitely run this race again as there were bands every block and that definitely kept my mind occupied.  

Matt, Caitlin, and Paul post-race (and post-puke for me)

4x9 min with 2:30 rest

Goal:
4x9 min with 2:00 rest starting at 6:00 ave and getting faster each one

Actual:
3.75 miles warmup
4x9 min with 2:30 rest at 5:52, 5:48, 5:41, 5:39
1.8 miles cooldown for ~12.3 miles total

After Matt and Thomas arrived at my house and complained about doing a long warmup, somehow I still managed to lead the way and get in the longer warmup that I wanted. We met Will along the Sugar Creek Greenway as we took the long way through Freedom Park to arrive at the Dilworth Speed Loop. The plan was to do the 2 mile loop, but cut off the 800m part so we would really just be running on Worthington and Tremont. Matt and Will would drop off at the mile mark, and Thomas would continue with me, and then we would all meet back up somewhere around where we started.

We stripped our clothes, threw it all in a tree, and toed the line. Before our Garmins beeped, I noticed what an eclectic group of runners we had:
Matt - shirtless with bright green CRC shorts with the logo slapped on both cheeks
Me - with a sports bra that matched Matt's bright green shorts and my winter pale
Will - shirtless and rocking his winter pale to keep me company
Thomas - shirtless, six pack, arm sleeve tattoos, and so tan he could pass for Native American compared to us whities

I laughed to myself at the oddities of our group and appreciated their company. The Garmin finally beeped and we were off. While it felt like we were going at a relaxed pace, we were a little fast at 5:54, but all of us were still able to chat a little bit throughout. We went through the first mile and I made a game time decision to pick it up after each mile split. Thomas continued with me and his company proved to be much needed towards the end of the workout. We finished that interval and before we knew it, 2:30 was up and we were ready to roll again.

For the second interval, we went through the mile in 5:54 again, but Thomas and I picked it up probably a little too much for the last portion. According to Thomas' Garmin we split the last 3 minutes in 5:37 and we both felt pretty tired after that one. During our rest, I told Thomas that it was fun to run each interval a little different than the last one to mix things up. Doing so helps break up the monotony of intervals and also helps practice different race tactics.

On the third and fourth intervals, I finally began to hurt. Granted, we did pick it up going through the mile by over 10 seconds. I really felt my hamstrings and quads tighten in the last 3 minutes of each of these, and I account this to the fact that I lifted the night before and was still sore from that at the start of the run. Thomas was a huge help as he really pushed me.

After we chugged some water, threw our clothes back on, we ran the short way back to my house very, very slow.

Writing this now, I cringe as I move my leg and continue to procrastinate to avoid foam rolling because I know it's going to hurt. However, the pain was worth it because I'd say that this was one of my first real workouts in a long time that went quite well. Now to get ready to pace Allen in his half...

15x1 Min

Goal:
15x1 min with 1:15 rest at 5:00-5:15 pace

Actual:
2.5 miles warmup
15x1 Min with 1:15 rest at 5:00-5:10 pace
2.8 miles cooldown for 10 miles total

While a minuters workout may seem easy, such thinking would put you in for an unpleasant shock after about the first 3 intervals. I began this workout with Matt, after I completed a slew of requests at work. Running outside in 70 degrees with Matt was a great way to end my work day and shake off the stress that resulted.

After our 2.5 mile warmup, I could already tell that I had not hydrated enough throughout the day. The higher-than-normal temperatures and the wind made me feel like I was fighting with a lot more factors than I wanted. My legs felt heavy and I hoped that once we began our minuters, my legs would feel that spring of energy and speed. The plan was to have Matt run every other interval with me - all of the odds - while I did the entire 15. We started in Freedom Park and ran to the end of the Sugar Creek Greenway and rounded back into Freedom.

After the first interval, we ran 5:00 pace, and I concluded that since my legs still felt pretty tired, I needed to introduce some mental tactics into the workout to ensure I would finish it. I would break it out into 3 sections of 5 intervals each. After the first section, my legs began to feel better while my breathing began to feel more labored. I will account that to the heat and to the cotton mouth that plagued me throughout the entire workout.

As we entered the 3rd section, we spotted Will Isenhour, who had gotten out of work after we had left. By pure chance, we literally ran into him and he kept Matt and I company for the last 5. I think that his presence gave me additional motivation to keep the pace honest and just as fast as when I started. Once I got home and looked at my garmin, that surely was the case as our fastest intevals were from 10-15. Staying strong at the end of the workout is an important feat that I would like to achieve in all of my workouts. This will train my body to do the same when I race.

After I completed all 15 of the minuters, we ran back to my house at a slow clip and battled the wind with every stride. Upon our return, Matt biked to the Dowd to lift, and I tidied up a bit before Meagan arrived. We enjoyed a nice Valentine's together and ate cheese, hummus, and pizza as she summarized her Olympic Trials qualifying experience at the Mercedes Marathon. In return for her buying me the I Love Trader Joe's Party Cook Book, I rolled out her calves...twice! Now that's what I call a great Valentine's Day.

Start of the New Training Cycle...SUCCESS!

Goal:
10x1 min with 1:15 rest

Actual:
6.31 miles warmup
8x1 min with 1:15 rest (had to adjust because I had to be home in time to make a massage) at 5:00-5:30 pace
1.88 miles cooldown

Hoorah! Hoorah! While 8x1 min is a minuscule workout in comparison to those workouts I will be doing in the near future (ex: 4x9 min with 2 min rest), this was a great way to start off my training cycle for the USA 25k Championships. I recruited Matt, Will, and Eric to join me for this light workout and, after staging meeting areas at three different locations, the four of us managed to find each other to begin our workout together at JCSU.

We began the minuters above the track on the road and made our way into the cemetery and up the road toward the NC Music Factory. The four of us worked together really well on the first four repeats, as we clustered together to shelter ourselves a bit from the nasty headwind. I felt fresh and relaxed as we cruised from 5:18-5:28 pace for the first four. Matt must have felt the best of all of us because he bested all of us on one of the intervals that ended with an uphill.

Once we entered the last 4 intervals, I began to feel even better. My breathing was controlled, my rhythm was in sync, and my stride was getting longer. Even with a slight incline, we managed to run 5:00-5:13 pace for these final four. Either my garmin was wrong, or we really were running at what I consider a blistering pace. It's a blistering pace considering I ran 32.6 miles last week! I don't know if I've ever run that speedy on a minuter workout, so I'll take it! It was really helpful to have the guys there to push me through, especially considering the wind and the hills that we conquered. While my regular training buddy Jordan is off frolicking in California, Matt is coming around the corner and getting back into shape rather quickly, which is good for both us.

It was exciting to start off my new training cycle with such a positive experience in my first workout. The next big goal in sight is to run 6:00-6:05 pace at the USA 25k Champs. Considering that I ran a marathon in 6:10 pace and a 15 mile simulation run at 6:11 pace, I think that this goal is realistic and will be an indicator of whether my fitness level has increased over the past six months and will allow me to assess my goal for the Olympic Trials.

Content in Charlotte - FINALLY!

I went to Mexico with Garrett who happens to be one of my best friends and also my boyfriend. It was awesome. I had a blast. It was nonstop fun, relaxation, and bliss, all rolled into one.

So why was I craving to be in the know as to what was going on with all my Charlotte buddies? Usually you are not supposed to want to leave an all-inclusive vacation because you miss your life back home. Obviously, I had a blast in Mexico, but by the fifth day of vacation, I was feeling separation anxiety from the social base I have formed here in Charlotte. I even caved in to my addiction and paid 15 USD for all day internet, that was only accessible in the hotel lobby, and logged onto gchat to catch up with family and friends. I even used Skype to call Aaron because he had such a huge PR in the VA Beach Half Marathon that I could not stand to wait and not get the race recap in his own words.

Clearly, my social circle that is mainly comprised of members from the Charlotte Running Club has become a strange addiction. Upon any separation that exceeds more than one day, I begin craving the facebook logon to read all the status updates, reading the "Weekly Runner" e-newsletter, and can't help the itch for the next long run to get caught up on the latest gossip regarding area runners.

It's a good thing that all of my other friends are pretty good facebook stalkers as well. :o)

The whole point of mentioning this addiction is that while some people may think it is unhealthy to think about your life back home while on your vacation, I think it is a clear indicator that I have formed my "third" family here in Charlotte. My second family would be those people that I met at Wake Forest, who hold an especially dear place in my heart. :o)

Some people have that itch to get out into the world and move somewhere completely new, and I definitely consider myself this kind of person. I'd like to include myself in the list of friends I know that have taken that risk to move very far away from everything that they have ever known to embark on an entirely new life experience where you can build your life from scratch.

Examples:
1. Kylee just moved to Colorado to be in the West since she had never been.
2. Matt is going on a cross country van trip until he runs out of money
3. My brother Joey moved to Phoenix without a job and now loves it
4. Merry took the leap and moved to Boston!

For those that know me, I have always stated that I really would love to live in California at some point in my life, and I still see this as a dream I would like to turn to reality...but not quite yet. Obviously, I love my sister and would love to be out in the West very much, but at this point everything has finally fallen into place for me here in Charlotte. The running club has really taken off, my job is getting better, and I have friends that I can depend on. I don't want to go through the whole process of making friends and finding running buddies all over again!

It is great seeing how so many of my friends who have pounded out grueling mile repeats or long runs all together have improved dramatically over the last four months. Together we are all truly a team, dedicated to helping each other achieve in all aspects of life - running, life, job, whatever.

Keep up the good work!

Charlotte Running Club

I tend to meet people in random ways. This is how I have met most of the people who have started the Charlotte Running Club.

To understand how the Charlotte Running Club was conceived, it is important to first understand how I met most of its original founding members. Matt was the first runner in Charlotte that I met. I purposely ran the Hog Jog 5k with the sole intention of introducing myself to the guy that ran the time closest to my goal times.

At the end of the race, in the post-run-party-tent, I waited for the announcer to present award to the third place male. After he walks away with his trophy, I immediately went up to him and said, "Hey! Do you live uptown?" He kind of looked at me all crazy and was not sure I was talking to him. I said, "Hey, I'm talking to you!" And then he said "Oh, Hey! yeah, I live uptown." From there I gave him my name and cell phone number to call me so that we could link up for some runs. Luckily, I did not scare him too much because he texted me a couple days later to schedule a "running date."

About a month after meeting Matt, I got a random email in response to a Craigslist posting that I had forgotten about. Right when I moved to Charlotte in July, I posted an ad for a running buddy that could run 760-730 pace per mile for long runs. Three months later, I decided to check my email account and someone had responded! I got excited and immediately responded, and after the email exchange got longer, I found out that this strange man also worked uptown and was willing to run from work in the evenings.

Of course, I put on my safety first hat, and was genius enough to google-stalk him first before I actually agreed to meet him. It was afterwards finding his personal webpage that proved he was not a creeper when I received an email from him, stating that he had a personal website to prove he was not a stalker. Clearly, we were both thinking of the same page. I found out later that he, Aaron, had also google-stalked me and found me on the Wake Forest Sports webpage.

To say the least, I introduced Matt to Aaron, and then as the months went by, Aaron met Jay, another local runner from Run For Your Life. With this core group, Aaron was inspired to launch a running club to bring together the masses of the CLT running community into one scene.

Now, two months after the inception, we boast about forty members, two sponsors, a newsletter, a webpage, and even a logo. Together, Aaron, Jay and I have truly made some big strides of making the club into a reality with the hopes of organizing what was once a disconnected conglomeration of runners that had no central place to find out where people got together to run.

Furthermore, it has been great to be surrounded with a group of people who are truly invested in running and share the same passion as my own.

This post was practically a marathon so I better stop here. Essentially, I trust that the Charlotte Running Club will continue to grow!!

www.charlotterunningclub.org