Two By Louie's

Time: 79:27
Distance: 13.51 miles
Pace: 5:53
W/u Splits: 7:31, 7:08, 6:53, 6:41
Workout Splits: 5:19, 5:24, 5:24, 5:26, 5:23, 5:23, 5:25, 5:19, 5:24, 2:21 (for .44 miles at 5:19 pace)
Map & Data

Scotty came by the store around 2 pm and we headed up just north of Oklahoma City to Lake Hefner. I had finished lunch at Louie's around 1:40 and I wasn't sure how the second hard effort of the day was going to feel. I hoped for the best and was lucky to have a perfect day for such an effort. It was sunny and in the 50s with little wind (7 mph) and a good amount of walkers, joggers and bikers out on the bike path. According to the website the bike path is 9.1 miles around but the route we took was more like 15k (9.3 miles). I didn't want to blow the opportunity to have a great workout on a rare day in Oklahoma. It was great having Scotty D there on his bike and Spencer decided to come along too with his bike. Having two friends there to hand me Soonerade (I will never call it Gatorade again) and keep the cars clear was huge. It also kept me accountable during the workout so I wouldn't bitch out by slowing down or stopping early.

Scotty and I warmed up from the Stars and Stripes Park parking lot to just past Louie's on the Lake and back. It was a comfortable 4 miles that allowed me to check out the weather, see part of the course and warm up the body. I changed into the LunarRacer for the first time, Scotty grabbed his bike and we geared up for a hard lap around the lake. This morning I was envisioning a second workout in the 6-8 mile range but decided that one lap would be easier.

The workout started out a bit quick but I was excited to have Scotty D and Spencer along for the endeavor. I knew I'd find the pace eventually and from miles 2 through 6 I felt incredibly relaxed and comfortable. The breathing was calm, the legs felt great and I was taking down fluids without any problems. The wind wasn't a factor on the dam along the far side of the lake. People could tell that I was throwing down and a few bikers yelled out words of encouragement. The pace hovered around 5:24 for the majority of the workout and it was starting to get somewhere between tough and monotonous between miles 6 through 9. I could tell I was tired and the legs were getting a little heavier, but the pace wasn't too difficult to maintain. I guess I was getting out of my rhythm as the bike path started to get a little more sinuous around mile 8. Regardless, I was happy with how things went.

Scotty and I headed back to Spenis' house to watch part of the Steelers v. Chargers game. Spenis is a big time Steelers fan for whatever reason and he was hooked to every play. Once we had caught up courtesy of TiVo, it was off to Louie's on Meridian Ave. to watch the rest of the game. I ordered chili in a bread bowl and a caesar salad on my second trip to the Grill & Bar for the day.