McAlpine Long Run

Time: 104:13
Distance: 16.01 miles
Pace: 6:30
Map

There was a lot of exciting action on tap this morning in the world of running. I received a text from Ms. Aja Clark saying that Jerry was about to be caught by Shalane. I quickly ran to my computer and fired up FloTrack to catch the action's live coverage. I learned that Aja was down in Houston because she was supposed to race before getting injured. The lead vehicle that contained FloTrack's camera was focused on Shalane Flanagan's (former UNC Chapel Hill star) debut at the half marathon in Houston. I entered the action around 15k when Flanagan's lead was about 40 meters in front of the second place woman. Whenever the truck sped up I could see Jerry Faulkner (aka Jerry's Kids) running a few paces in front. It was fun seeing the old OK Runner singlet being worn by the hard worker, but I had to wonder why Shalane was so damn close. Jerry ended up running 69:34 to Shalane's victorious 69:41.

Next up was Queens' athlete Futsum Mehbratu running in the P.F. Chang's Rock & Roll Arizona Half Marathon. His race started just as we began our long run. Other top athletes in the field included Ryan Hall and Simon Bairu, and on the women's side Deena Kastor. I couldn't figure out how to track athletes via the competitor.com's website, but after the race we found results. Futsum placed 6th overall with a time of 68:18 while the former Wisconsin Badger, Bairu, won in 62:47 followed by US Olympian Ryan Hall in 64:08. Deena Kastor won the women's race in 69:43. It would be nice to see a Deena v. Shalane race sometime in the near future.

My long run wasn't nearly as exciting as all the race action. I missed meeting up with the Charlotte Running Club from Providence Day and instead met the Queens team from Old Bell. I didn't realize it rained so hard last night as crossing the creek proved to be a chore. I put in an easy 9 miles with Simon and Devin around the Footlocker course before they headed back to the parking lot. I ratcheted down the pace after their departure and finished up with some solid splits. It started to rain at one point during the run, but it didn't make too much of a difference. I wore an old pair of Karhu that I didn't think had very much life left to them. The soft dirt certainly played a role in this.

Splits:
7:30, 7:07, 7:09, 6:48, 6:59, 6:44, 6:30, 7:09, 6:44, 6:10, 6:22, 6:02, 5:53, 5:47, 5:41, 5:35