Week in Review

~45 Miles
5 days of Running
4 Days of Flu
101-102 Degree Fever

So, what was I doing running 45 miles this week? Well, I got sick. After running a great workout on Tuesday in Greenville, I had high hopes that my week would turn out really well. After my Thursday run ending terribly, I knew that I was getting sick because it was taking me longer than normal to recover and I felt a terrible itch in my throat. I was right. By Friday, the flu had hit me with full force. I developed a bad case of the chills and felt feverish yet cold at the same time while struggling to work remotely on Friday in Greenville. I took my temperature and the thermometer read 101.3. After I crawled into bed, I checked it again...102.5.

Since it wasn't the most ideal of circumstances to hang out with Garrett while I was sick, I said my final goodbye to him in what could be described as a rather sad "bromance" hug since I didn't want him to get my germs. I then drove back to Charlotte in a rush to get home on Friday night, back in the comfort of my own bed, with the company of my cat Cicero.

Who would have known that a temperature would disrupt a running schedule so much? After two days of rest, I was faced with a decision: Do I attempt to run my scheduled 17 mile long run or just play it by feel? Using my Wake Forest trained brain, I played it by feel. I ran 6.5 miles on Sunday, and my body felt weak as can be. My legs felt like they were lifting an additional 10 pounds as I sludged through the McAlpine trails with Chad and John. In the end, I made the right decision. After all, even the professionals like Kara Goucher and Lauren Fleshman take days off and run easy until they feel strong again if they have the fever.

I ended my week with quite a scare tonight. Unknown to me, Cicero snuck out the front door when my friends came over. He was so quiet and stealth about it that no one even noticed him slip out, into the wild abyss. Well, two hours later, when I was about to go to bed, I realized I hadn't seen him in a while. I asked John to search his room and we both began our search in every imaginable crevasse and hiding spot in our house (including the trash can, the dishwasher, his closet, the sink, etc). After I checked outside a couple of times and called his name, I really was starting to freak out. I looked again inside and headed toward the front door again, prepared to walk around the neighborhood and to call for him.

Right as I was about to have a major panic attack, I opened the front door, where Cicero was now standing! He then sprinted inside and seemed quite content that he had two solid hours outside to explore the unknown land outside our front door. Thank goodness Cicero came home because I would have been an emotional wreck if I hadn't found him because he means a lot to me. Also, I was really grateful to John for helping me look and for preparing to set out on the kitty hunt with me. After that, I went to bed with a relieved heart and a happy explorer kitty.

8x3 Min with 2:30 Rest

Goal:

8x3 min at 5:30 or faster with 2:30 jog rest

Actual:

3 miles warmup

8x3 min at 5:11, 5:26, 5:22, 5:21, 5:26, 5:28, 5:25, 5:25 pace with 2:30 jog rest

1.1 mile cool down for 10 miles total

That's right. I just posted a picture of the ECU Pirates. Why? Because I did my workout in ECU country, in the heart of Greenville, NC. Fortunately I did not wear any of my Wake Forest gear, for fear of being insulted or having things thrown at me while working out. I'm staying at the Bullocks house for the next five days to say my final goodbye to Garrett before he goes off to Florida and other destinations to play minor league baseball for 7 months. I'm mentally preparing to not see him for at least two months, so I figure I deserve to spend some quality time with him before that long distance clock really starts ticking.

Fortunately for me, I was able to easily recruit Garrett to bike alongside me for this workout. I had mapped out a 900m loop right outside of his house, which added to the convenience factor for Garrett. I had set a goal to run at goal 5k pace or faster for these intervals. This was before I discovered that it was relatively cold and very windy. The temperature was hovering right around 40 degrees and, with the wind chill, it really felt like 35 degrees. After I warmed up 3 miles on my own, I concluded that the wind was not going to force me to adjust my goals and met Garrett on his bike at the designated starting line.

I won't bore you with the details of each and every interval, but let's just say that on the first one both Garrett and I went out way too hard (5:11 pace) and this made me hurt a lot more on the intervals that followed. Despite the speedy first interval, all of my paces were below my goal pace and I ran 300m-900m into a significant head wind. Mu slowest interval happened to be when a car was coming at us and we had to slow down.

Admittedly, I walked for a little bit during the rest on the last three because I was sucking wind and hating Garrett for being on a bike and for having it so easy. All the same, I was really grateful for his presence because it motivated me to keep going fast when all I really wanted to do was call it a day at #6. After I shouted "una mas" to a perplexed Garrett, I finished the final interval and cooled down for 1.1 miles - just enough to get me 10 miles for the day. This is another workout in the books that I can't really complain about. I'll walk away pleased with this one, and feeling ready for my 10k/5k double next weekend.

Next up: 30 minute tempo on Friday

Week in Review

70 Miles

7 Runs

15.2 Mile Long Run to pace Allen to a 1:29:20 Half

10 Hours of Driving

3 CRC Champions and 1 Runner-Up at Myrtle Beach

Wow, a lot happened this week! This week started off with a great workout and ended with a great weekend spent with friends. I couldn't have asked for more. Earlier this week, I read Allen's blog post about wanting to run a sub-1:30 Half Marathon at Myrtle Beach. I immediately texted him and told him that if he gave me a cookie, I would pace him to a PR in his half. He graciously accepted my offer (Side note: I never got a cookie, but I carelessly lost his 2009 race bib, so we're even).

After picking John up from school at 3:15PM, we set off in the Redbirdmobile, with Myrtle Beach in our (far) sights. While I had examined the map before getting in the car, I did not realize until we were four hours into the drive how much it really was going to suck. Back roads, stop lights, slow moving tractors, and the South Carolina low country do not make for a pleasant or speedy drive. By the time we were 20 minutes outside of Myrtle, John commented that I definitely was not made for road trips. Not at all. I'm a jet kind of girl; jump on the plane and get to LA in five hours. Wham, bam, done. Get in a car, use a tank of gas and stop at 1923 stoplights and arrive at the Myrtle Villas, where John was staying with Ben and Megan Hovis.

In the end, the drive was worth it. I got to spend three days in SC with Garrett and some of my greatest friends and watch them all accomplish their goals. Since Allen recaps his race in his blog, I won't go into any detail regarding that. However, the after-race experience is noteworthy. After I made it back to the finish chute, where Allen was wearing his medal, I was thanked by six people for being so encouraging throughout the race. They told me that my comments helped them achieve their goals and that they were so grateful for my positive presence. It was a great feeling to know that I had not only helped Allen, but several other runners of whom share the exact same passion for running as I do.

After that, I found out that not only had my roomate John Compton won his first ever Half Marathon, but that Alice Rogers had won in the women's race and that Megan Hovis had followed close behind. Ben Hovis placed sixth overall, which is pretty impressive considering he is only running four or five days a week right now. Allen Strickland broke his own PR and qualified (I think?) for the NYC Half Marathon. I'm sure there were other Charlotte Running Club members in the half marathon, and I applaud their efforts as well. It was a great day for CRC!

The success didn't just stop there. After we changed our clothes, I was able to watch a woman run 2:40 to win the Myrtle Beach Marathon, with Billy following behind. I was able to capture a photo of his finish below. Scott Helms finished the marathon as well, falling just short of his goal due to the heat and some hurt legs!

After Billy's race, we headed over to the HM awards ceremony, where Alice and John were bombarded by questions from a reporter for the Sun Times. After they received their awards, we made our way back to the Hovis' place to pretty up and eat cupcakes before lunch. We meandered over to Margaritaville and enjoyed a "team" lunch with Garrett, Allen, John, and the Hovii. In a celebration of Ben's birthday, we played a 18-hole round of putt-putt and enjoyed the 70+ degrees. Despite John's terrible golfing form, he was able to hit three hole-in-ones, propelling his team to victory over myself, Garrett and Allen.

All in all, it was an amazing few days to be in Myrtle Beach. Everyone who competed in these races ran their little hearts out and deserve to be recognized. Most importantly, they should all be commended for their comraderie and their sportsmanship that was showcased. John cooled down with the guy who got second in the Half, Billy congratulated Kathleen Castles for her outstanding effort to win the entire marathon, and the entire group cheered in the marathoners. When I ran at Wake, I was proud to be a Demon Deacon and I feel that same pride in my city of Charlotte because of the intricate web of runners who support each other. Let's keep up the great work!

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...