Caitlin's 3 x 3 Mile Workout

Time: 105:31
Distance: ~14.5 miles

W/u: 20:28 for ~2.5 miles
W/o: Help Caitlin with 3 x 3 miles w/ 4 mins rest
C/d: 22:53 for ~2.5 miles

I was up early to help Caitlin out with her 3 x 3 mile workout around the Booty Loop. I slowly ran over to the tennis courts in Freedom Park trying to get my legs wake up. I knew what the workout was but I wasn't sure of the pace or rest.

Once we got started I knew the pace was quick but since I wasn't wearing a Garmin I didn't know how fast the uphill mile would be. Turns out we came through in just over 5:50 when we were hoping for something more like 6:10. From that point forward, the workout was on and it was nice to see Caitlin respond each segment. She struggled during parts, especially the second mile, but was tough to keep clipping away. I'm not a big fan of working out on the Booty Loop but the route is definitely good at keeping the pace honest.

Splits:
17:36 - 5:52, 5:56, 5:45
(3:58)
17:41 - 5:51, 6:00, 5:47
(5:03)
17:47 - 5:59, 6:00, 5:42
Total of 62:10 and ~9.5 miles

It should also be noted that I hurdled a dog on the final 3 mile interval. Had this been my workout and not Caitlin's I would have probably tripped over the pup and taken the old woman out too.

Uptown Double

Time: 60:00
Distance: ~8 miles

Jay texted me this afternoon to see if I was interested in running from the Dowd YMCA at 6 pm. I got my gear together and met up with him, Michelle, Dave and Thomas for a run over to the bike path starting near The Burger Co. and ending at Ray's Splash Planet. I actually felt really good putting in the hour of running this evening and especially liked running through Uptown. Thomas is running the Museum Mile on Saturday and wanted to check out the course. We ran back down to near 11th/12th St. and then all the way up Tryon. I was tempted to grab a beer off one of the patio tables at Rock Bottom Brewery and just enjoy it right there in the street. If I were eating dinner, enjoying the spring weather and a runner came up, snagged my beer and chugged right in front of me, I'd think that much more of runners. I'd then buy him another one.

Recovery Miles

Time: 75:31
Distance: ~10 miles

I met up with Caitlin this morning for a run at McAlpine. It was good to see Mike Kahn back from his race in Boston and find Will out on the trails after about 30 minutes of running. My legs were a little stiff at the start of the run but I was able to ease into the run nicely. I'm glad my legs weren't too beat up from the workout yesterday and that training has basically returned to normal.

Back to the Grind

Time: 92:45
Distance: 12.8 miles

W/u: 27:25 for ~3.3 miles
W/o: 2 x 2 miles @ 5:10 pace, 4 x 800m @ 2:20-2:25
C/d: 20:57 for ~2.5 miles

Inspired by Geoffrey Mutai's 2:03:02 Boston Marathon performance I arrived at Rebecca Thomason's house having just dropped Meagan at the airport. She was headed up to Beantown a day late if you asked me. This was to be my first proper workout since last fall and I wasn't sure what to expect. The goal was to run at close to short term goal 10k pace (5:10s) for the 2 mile repeats and then drop the pace on the 800s.

Since Mr. Garmin is still broken (I'm lazy and haven't sent it off to be fixed) I had to run on somewhat of a standard loop. I opted for the two mile loop in Dilworth and began my workout from the 400m mark so that I could check my pace at the end of the Speed Loop. I've only run the loop with Caitlin so I'm not sure if it's a little short or long but I wasn't concerned as today was all about the effort.

The first two mile when according to plan. I was right where I needed to be and felt good running. On the second I struggled for the middle 5 minutes which cost me 10 seconds at the end. I lost focus and my pace clearly slowed. It was good that I recovered relatively quickly after both 2 mile efforts.

I jogged back in the direction of East Blvd. to start the 800s and ran into Larry Seaver. I had to ask where the actual start was because the mark is very faint. This also added 90 seconds to my rest as we chatted a bit. I kept going through 200m in 34-36 and slowing the entire way which tells me what I already know... I'm not that fit. My legs can handle the quickness of the splits I want to be running but I'm not aerobically efficient to maintain that pace.

Splits:
10:17 (3:00), 10:27 (4:29);
2:25.30 (2:10), 2:25.63 (2:09), 2:25.30 (2:10), 2:21.73 for 44:23 total and ~7 miles total.

My goal after running this workout is to come back in a few months and see if I can run 2 x 2 mile in 10:00, 6 x 800m in 2:20. I cooled down around the 2 mile loop while chatting with my buddy Lee Greenberg on the phone.

Slow Double

Time: 41:37
Distance: ~5 miles

Meagan and I went out this evening for a double run. It was hard to keep the pace under control after watching the Boston Marathon performances this morning. I had to keep telling myself that I had a workout to run in the morning. We ran on the path near Myers Park HS and then ran over to the Sugar Creek Greenway.

Boston Marathon Watching

Time: 61:12
Distance: ~8 miles

Meagan and I drove over to Caitlin's house this morning for a Boston Marathon viewing party. We first had to get in about an hour of running along the other side of the Sugar Creek Greenway. It's the same path that starts by my house and the city is in the process of linking the two sections. It eventually let us out near the 18 mile mark of the marathon course which we elected to run the rest of. I got to relive the Thunder Road glory and have smog induced coughs along The Plaza.

We got back to the house and I did a few strides in the parking lot. My legs are definitely tired from the 90+ I ran last week. I made sure to stretch and use the Muscletrac while we waited for the marathon coverage to begin. I didn't know what to expect from the race but I knew the conditions were right for the athletes to have brilliant runs. And, they definitely put on a show. I won't elaborate on the individual performances of Kim Smith, Desi Davila, Ryan Hall or Geoffrey Mutai. They each showed great determination throughout the race and it was too bad Kim's calf didn't hold up (turns out she tore her soleus).

I was most interested in watching the form of the various athletes in the lead packs. Desi looked amazing in comparison to the two Kenyan women she battled with the final 5k of the race. She was smooth and rhythmic while they flailed about. Ryan Hall almost looks like he is overstriding with his long loping legs. Then there was Geoffrey Mutui who looked like the man to beat from the 5k marker. I don't think I've ever seen him run before and he has an incredibly fluid motion. Over the years I've come to admire several runners' strides and I definitely have to put Mutai in my top three along with:



Former 800m WR holder Wilson Kipketer. Silky smooth.



Former Kenyan, now American Bernard Lagat.



Geoffrey Mutai recording fastest ever marathon in 2:03:02 followed closely by Moses Mosop in 2:03:06 (coached by Canova).

Week in Review

Time: 675:58
Distance: ~94.6 miles

Another week of comeback training is in the books. I logged just over 90 miles which surprised me a little when I added all 11 runs up. The next step is to start increasing the morning run to 9-10 miles and sprinkle in some workouts. I have 3 weeks to drop two minutes from my 10k time. It sounds like a lot but I think I can do it if I can the threshold workouts go well. I've started running strides a couple days during the week to work on form and keep some turnover work. I never want to get too far way from maintaining the miler speed (I once had). It's my hope that the legs get used to the pounding as the weeks of training continue to be linked together.

Sunday McAlpine Run

Time: 96:08
Distance: 14 miles

Meagan, Caitlin, Charlie and I all started from Old Bell on a long run at McAlpine. We first ventured up to Boyce and then to the extension across the bridge at the 2.5 mile mark. Meagan turned around at 4 miles and Charlie dropped back as Caitlin started to pick up the pace. I think we were hitting sub-7's by the fifth mile and gradually picked it up from there. Caitlin was supposed to get in some uptempo miles in preparation for the US 25k Championships in May. I didn't feel great as my legs are tired from this week's mileage. My legs aren't that beat up from the race, but definitely fatigued from the second week of 75+.

RaceFest Recap

Time: 69:48
Distance: ~11.7 miles
Race: 33:59 for 1st

W/u: 21:46 for ~2.5 miles
C/d: 24:03 for ~3 miles

Meagan has a nice recap of the morning activities before heading to the South Park Mall for the race. We found a choice parking spot in the Rotunda lot and were half worried about being towed but figured getting the tow truck through the crowds would be a huge effort. I dared the facility to take my ride.

About 4 minutes into starting our warm up we spotted John Compton who was doing the same. We put in just under 20 minutes together prior to the race. I kept an eye out for other guys who would be near the front of the race, it's something that all road whores do.

I came to the starting line about 10 minutes prior to the gun going off and joked around with one of the race timers. Dr. Duffy and Dr. Greenapple were on hand taking pictures of the starting line. I gave Greenapple my toothpaste colored waterproof Gore jacket to cover up his Craft jacket (take that Meagan)! The field was split by a median with the half-marathoners on the right and 10kers on the left. Aaron Linz lined up to my left, another decent looking kid stood to his left, Meagan, Alice and Rebecca stood behind me. I had felt pretty sluggish on the warm up but seeing all the runners and spectators near the start brought some life back into my legs.

When the gun went off I settled in behind Aaron, John and a mix of 10kers and half-marathoners. I wasn't look to force the pace and knew the guy who had a 20 meter lead wasn't running the 10k. I felt relaxed on the fast downhill opening mile and wondered what the first split would be. The clock read 5:06 but my watch was 5 seconds back. That's the fastest mile I've run in weeks and would be of the day. During the second mile I found myself in the front of the chase pack that included John, Aaron, and the half-marathoner who would go on to place second. I didn't want to be near the front so I quickly dropped back and let the others do the work. Aaron started to fall off around the 10 minute mark which had me glancing over my shoulder several times.

Miles two and three are mostly uphill and the splits showed it. I was content to lead the 10k and watch John bridge the gap up to the leader who he quickly overtook. During the third mile I made a solid push to try and catch John before the split but could only get to within a couple seconds. At every turn I would I look over my should to see who was chasing. Dean Otto was at the 3.5 mile mark cheering for the runners with a big cup of coffee in hand. At some point around the 20 minute mark it started raining again but I was unconcerned. I went through 4 miles running over 5:30s and feeling comfortable. Aaron yelled that he was coming for me just beyond 4 miles but by that point I had about a 20 second lead. It was going to be difficult for him to make up that deficit in 2 miles the last of which is mostly uphill.

I felt strong the final two miles but knew I wasn't running a particularly fast time. My goal was just to make it to the finish line to collect some dough. I missed the 6 mile mark as it was on the other side of the road.

Splits:
5:11, 5:34, 5:36, 5:32, 5:21, 6:44 (1.2 miles) for 33:59 total.

After the race I cooled down with Meagan and Brian Pratt who finished third overall. Meagan and I swept the 10k each winning a cool New Balance jacket that we can't wear and some cash. During the cool down we looped back in time to see John take the half-marathon title. Scott Dvorak put on a great race and handled the weather challenges well. I'm content with the effort but know that I have a lot of work to do before my next big race at the Capital City Classic 10k otherwise I'll get my doors blown off. I'll need to run at least 2 minutes faster in order to finish with my head held high. The real work begins next week.

Shakeout for RaceFest

Time: 25:22
Distance: ~3 miles

Meagan and I visited a couple of the stores in south Charlotte today and I ended up gaining a free entry to tomorrow's RaceFest 10k. Meagan had already signed up earlier in the week and I entertained thoughts of running. After this morning's longer run I just used the 3 miles to shake out the legs. I ran three strides during the run to inject some speed into the legs but I could tell this week's mileage has the body a little tired. Tomorrow will simply be about running smart and trying to win some cash.

Medium Long Run

Time: 80:57
Distance: ~12 miles

Meagan and I met up with Caitlin, Eric and Justin at Rebecca's house after their workout. We started their cool down nice and easy and continued on to the bike path that runs past the hospital. Meagan turned around at 40 minutes but I was feeling good and ran back into Uptown with Caitlin. I felt good all the way back the house and was surprised to log over 80 minutes this morning when I originally set out to run about 8-9 miles.

Easy Double

Time: 38:03
Distance: ~5.3 miles

I was solo this evening for my double run as Meagan had a massage scheduled. It was 5 easy miles through Freedom Park and back. There was a fair amount of activity in the park but not as many runners as I would have expected. My legs are feeling a little tired from the second week of "real" training.

Medium Loop

Time: 64:22
Distance: ~8.6 miles

I ran a slow Medium Loop with Meagan until she turned to cut the run a little short. Her knee was bugging her so I upped the pace until I caught her along the Sugar Creek Greenway. Nothing exciting to report here.

Meagan's McMullen Workout

Time: 89:16
Distance: ~12 miles

W/u: 31:25 for 4 miles
W/o: mile, 1200m, 800m, 400m, 400m, 800m, 1200m, mile w/ 2 mins rest
C/d: 16:21 for 2 miles

Meagan and I went to McMullen for this workout that I came up with just prior to leaving. I gave her a couple of options and she went with the ladder workout. I hoped to tire out the legs on the way down and force her to focus on each individual effort on the way back up. The splits weren't anything crazy but the total workout would bring 5 miles of hard running.

Splits:
5:42.6 (2:00), 4:08.8 (2:00), 2:44.4 (2:00), 75.7 (1:59),
75.00 (2:00), 2:40.5 (1:59), 4:07.7 (2:00), 5:38.2 for 41:33 and 5 miles of work and ~1 mile recovery

I led all of the intervals except the two 400s that Meagan ran too fast. She has a much more thorough recap of the workout so I will refer you to Green Lightning Running.

AG Mini-Workout

Time: 57:14

Distance: ~7.2 miles

W/u: 31:02 for ~3.6 miles

W/o: 8 x 200m w/ 200m jog.

C/d: 13:27 for ~1.6 miles

This evening Meagan and I jogged over to the track at Alexander Graham to meet up with Dean Otto who was doing a workout. We ran his warm up too on a two mile loop around Myers Park HS back to the track. There was a lacrosse game being played which made the backstretch a little chaotic on the rest sections.

Splits:

(60) 33.02, (60) 32.17, (61) 31.10, (62) 31.89,

(66) 31.68, (67) 31.62, (68) 32.05, (66) 30.89 for 12:45 total and 2 miles

The 200s were more like glorified strides that I actually timed. I felt good but recognize this isn't a particularly impressive workout. If all goes well I'll run 16 x 200 averaging 29-31 keeping the rest at 50-60 seconds. Looking back on the rest splits I see that I was fatiguing rapidly in order to maintain the same pace. I'll take it for where I'm at in my training now, but give me another few months to turn things around.

James Haycrap

Time: 50:20
Distance: ~6.8 miles

I'm running out of interesting titles for my posts so I just figured I would name the person I was running with. Today, Meagan and I joined up with James Haycraft for a 50 minute run. We had very strict orders from SlowTwitch.com to keep this run to 50 minutes. I sorta winged an alternate version of our Medium Loop that brought us back to the house right on time. I will call out the fact that when the watch hit 50 minutes James stopped and walked back to his car a mere 50 meters away. I, on the other hand, continued to run all the way back to the starting/stopping point.

Since Mr. Garmin is out of commission, I heard James say that each mile got a little faster. I think we started at 8:00+ and ended in a perfect cut down around 6:50. Booyah!

Bob "Mankini" Nixon

Time: 41:52

Distance: ~5 miles

After the Let Me Run practice this evening I roped old man Bob Nixon into my double run. We ran from Park Road Montessori and ran through Freedom Park. The pace was nice and easy (ask Melissa Bell about how easy). We were running near the soccer fields when I heard someone yell out and it was our buddy Dean Otto coaching his daughter's soccer team. We finished all the way through the park and departed ways at Princeton.

I turned and ran another loop back through Freedom Park with a stop at the fields to run some strides. The fields are way short and my strides were limited by the muddy sections at either end. It was nice to quicken the turnover for the 6 x ~80m strides and drive the arms.

I finished with a slow shuffle back to my car at Park Road Montessori and drove off to Dr. Greenapple's office for some treatment.

Monday Morning Run

Time: 62:36

Distance: ~9 miles

I put in a little over 60 minutes this morning through Freedom Park and Dilworth. I dropped by Run For Your Life around the 40 min mark to check the buzz there. Time on the feet was the goal today.

Week in Review

Time: 580:55
Distance: ~80.35

I had to double check my mileage when I just added up the weekly totals. I don't have any sort of schedule right now and have been training on feel. When I feel good on a run I keep going and when I don't I stop. This has allowed my body to dictate the pace and length of runs instead of a piece of paper that says I must run "x" today. Everything is feeling good with a little soreness here or there, but nothing that concerning.

The next step is to start sprinkling in some of my own workouts instead of doing Meagan's. I need to get some work in at 4:45 to 5:10 pace so that I can race in the near future. Good stuff to come.

McAlpine Buddies

Time: 88:44
Distance: ~12 miles

I returned back to Charlotte just in time to partake in the final moments of the Inside-Out Sports customer appreciation day. Those moments turned into minutes and hours which soon turned into flip cup and keg stands. It was a great time as we all worked hard to kick the Old Mecklenburg Brewery keg. I would post pictures but some others are trying to get into med school, another is a lawyer, and one coaches for a local high school. That's as specific as I'll get. Needless to say it was a great time and made for a slow start to the morning.

I was a little late arriving to Old Bell but I wasn't feeling too bad when I met up with a group of Megan Hovis, Caitlin, John Compton, Jay, Alex and Will around the 400 meter mark. We ran up into the trails near Boyce and did some loops out by the Footlocker course. I started feeling decent about 40 minutes into the run and was able complete a fairly solid end to the weekend.

Charlottesville Marathon Day Two

Time: 89:44
Distance: ~12 miles

I was back to the marathon expo for the second day after spending the night in lovely Waynesboro. The marathon and half marathons started at 6:30 am which had me pondering the idea of competing, but opted against it in hopes of getting in a good run with Max Smith who was in attendance for Puma. I know Max Smith from my days up in Providence. I'm not sure if we raced each other much as I'm sure he was busy getting ready for bigger competitions. But, the year after I graduated Max put together an amazing campaign and toured Europe the summer of 2007. Check out this gem of a mile he got to compete in where he finishes second (he's the blonde dude in a white Providence College singlet and black shorts):

Watch more video of Atletiek Vlaanderen on flotrack.org

Our run this morning took us through campus and over to the trails that I saw on Thursday. They didn't really go anywhere so we hopped back on a small bike path to discover a dirt road. The dirt road took us to the Rivanna Trail System that runs all the way around Charlottesville. At one point we had to run through a "panda preserve" as Max called it and cross a creek. The bamboo and water made for crappy footing but the trail was soft and scenic. It was great catching up with Max as he has some good insight on the running industry after working for a big company like Puma. I also enjoyed hearing about his comeback after a 3 year battle with an achilles injury. He might be running the Penn Relays in a couple of weeks.

We returned to the expo with some time to spare before having to break down. Eventually we said our goodbyes to Keith Dowling who was in attendance on behalf of Reebok. Keith is friends with my buddy Keith Kelly who also works for Uncle Reebok. I got to hear a little about Dowling's training and when he was the top American finisher at Boston with a 2:13:28 performance. If you have a moment click on the link to listen to how and why Keith stepped away from the sport.

Charlottesville Marathon Expo

Time: 60:10
Distance: ~8.5 miles

I got up and out the door for a run back through UVA's campus. Instead of trying to find trails I continued on to the Charlottesville Running Company. I would be working with this account for the marathon expo later in the day. I visited with the store's manager about 25 minutes into the run and then added on near some train tracks. The expo ran from 12 until 9 pm so the day was going to be long. However, the expo was relatively stress free as I would be managing BodyGlide and suggesting it to all the participants. My goal was to sell all the inventory and be able to head out early.

UVA Double

Time: 55:22
Distance: ~8 miles

I arrived in Charlottesville, VA just in time for my 3:15 appointment with Peace Frog's Travel. They were wanting to take a look at the Fall '11 line up off bags which I tossed in my car before leaving. (I should also note that before leaving for Charlottesville, I placed a big order for Nuun at Inside-Out Sports. They will be receiving all the new flavors soon: Lemonade-Strawberry (the bomb!), Fruit Punch, Grape, Tropical & Sweet Tea). The showing was simple and easy which allowed me to hit up the Panera in the Barracks' Road Shopping Center. I booked a room at cheapest hotel I could find and dropped my gear to get suited up for a run.

I ran about a mile to the UVA campus which is pretty cool considering it was largely designed by Thomas Jefferson. I have been to Charlottesville before but didn't get a chance to explore the campus. I ran through some of the greens and around old buildings trying to get a feel for the school. The weather was amazing and students were out playing games, cooking burgers and enjoying college life. I eventually found a small bike path and some trails that I thought would lead me back to Emmett St. After realizing I was headed off in the wrong direction I turned and started heading back through a neighborhood before having to ask some dude for directions. It was good that I did because I was still slightly off course and had a couple miles to run before getting back to the hotel. By the time I was done I got in close to 8 miles which was a little more than I was intending but I felt great.

Miles Before the Road

Time: 63:33
Distance: ~8.6 miles

After working out two days in a row I was looking to put in some light recovery miles. Meagan and I ran around our standard 8 mile loop this morning. We had to hurry back as she was scheduled to get a massage and I needed to hit the road for a 3:15 appointment with an account in Charlottesville, VA.

Beautiful McAlpine Workout

Time: 77:29
Distance: ~10 miles

W/u: 20:05 for ~2.5 miles
W/o: 3 x mile, 3 x 1k with Meagan
C/d: 4:05 for .5 miles

Meagan and I headed out to McAlpine this afternoon for a workout consisting of some fast miles followed by relaxed 1ks. My intention was to have her running hard at 5k pace to tire the legs and open the lungs, and then come back with some fast but relaxed intervals off shorter rest. After an easy warm up we got situated at the Footlocker start line and began.

Splits:
5:28 (3:30), 5:28 (3:30), 5:30 (4:00);
3:38 (2:00), 3:35 (1:59), 3:32 (1:59), 3:32 (2:00), 3:33 for 53:19 total and ~7+ miles

We had a perfect day for a workout like this and Meagan handled the workout beautifully. She was right on my hip for the fast miles and I could tell that she wanted to roll on some of the 1ks. I had to hold her back as the point wasn't to blow the doors off the final section. The only downside to the workout was having to cut out the cool down as Meagan's knee completely locked up and I didn't think her limping for a mile would help.

Lightning Workout

Time: 69:11
Distance: 10.75 miles

W/u: 24:20 for 3 miles
W/o: 12 x 400m w/ 100m jog
C/d: 21:29 for ~3 miles

This morning I woke up to hear the wind howling outside and pushing garbage cans up the street. I had agreed to meet, Irv Batten, the owner of On The Run for a workout. I asked if I could join his Tuesday morning workout crew that goes off at 6:00 am from a track across the street from his store. I wasn't thrilled with the idea of such an early morning, but needed to get my training headed in the right direction.

I first hit the Starbucks near the store and as I was getting out of the car I saw a great flash of light in the sky. I paid it little attention until I was sipping my coffee at the track. The flashes continued and I realized I was in for a classic southeast storm. The rain, wind and lightning were headed our way and I still have 15 minutes to kill before the others would show up. I waited in my car and saw another guy drive up just as the rain started. It poured and eventually the other guy left right around the time that Irv rolled up. I through on my rain gear and had a quick chat with Irv about the weather. We decided to get in a warm up and make a game time decision on whether or not to workout.

During our warm up around the neighborhoods the skies dump water on us. The lightning was still off in the distance, though one strike seemed terribly close. Fortunately it was still in the upper 60s so we were comfortable in shorts and a light jacket. Upon returning to the track we ran one loop to see about the footing and opted to man up.

Splits:
78.8 (35), 78.8 (42), 79.8 (37), 77.8 (60),
78.2 (36), 78.2 (42), 76.0 (38), 75.8 (42),
76.3 (39), 76.3 (58), 74.8 (41), 71.8 for 23:15 total and 4.75 miles.

Irv led all of the odd splits and I took the even ones. The rain stopped by the third interval and the storm seemed to have passed. The lightning still illuminated the sky off in the far distance as the worse part had been avoided. I fell into a groove clicking off 5:00 to 5:08 pace for most of the intervals. It was fun being the only ones on the track as the rest of Irv's crew chickened out. He was already drafting the email in his head making fun of those wimps who didn't brave the weather. I'm pleased with the effort and glad the achilles held up.

College of Charleston

Time: 28:37
Distance: ~3.5 miles

After a solid day of visits which included Affordabike, Half-moon Outfitters, TrySports, On The Run, another Half-moon Outfitters and The Charleston Bicycle Company, it was time to lace up the shoes again. I headed out the door with Alex for a run through the College of Charleston over to a small lake. After a couple laps around the 600m loop it was time to head back to the house. The pace was slow and we had to cross a lot of streets but it was good to catch up with Alex and see some other parts of the city.

Charleston Running

Time: 48:05
Distance: ~7 miles

I put in some miles prior to visiting a bunch of accounts in Charleston. I ran down King St. and cut over through some of the older neighborhoods near Waterfront Park. I eventually made it to the water and ran along the bike path/sidewalk. It was incredibly windy for the stretch near the water but I enjoyed being out with the other runners. I turned around when I came to some shipping yard and headed back to my buddy Alex's house.

Week In Review

Time: 463:52

Distance: ~62.8 miles

Another step in the right direction with this week's training. I haven't planned out any of my weeks yet and have been able to run slightly more each week as my fitness improves and I feel like running longer. I'm not trying to force anything at this point as I know I'll be back to running top mileage in no time. It was fun to be with friends and family in Myrtle Beach and I'm looking forward to a few days in Charleston. I did a little account prospecting in MB but it continues to be a bit of a dead zone.

Five Guys Short

Time: 34:11

Distance: ~4.5 miles

I probably could have run a full five miles had I not eaten Five Guys this afternoon with Mike. I was still feeling full when I started the run from a couple blocks of King Street in Charleston. I ran through the ghetto trying to find the waterfront. It took me about 2 miles to get down close to Waterfront Park and the old US Customs House. I've been to Charleston a couple of times but never had the chance to explore. It was fun running in the old neighborhoods on the narrow one way streets. By the end of the run the pace had quickened and I was starting to feel good. It was the perfect way to end a Sunday double.

Ghost or Smurf Run

Time: 58:34

Distance: ~8 miles

I thought about getting up earlier and running in Myrtle Beach again, but I never found a great spot to put in miles. Instead I hung out with family and packed up all my stuff for the drive to Charleston. I found a state park between MB and Chucktown that I thought would be an ideal location to get in a long run. However, on the drive I reached out to Mike Moran who was still in Charleston for the Cooper River Bridge Run. He has a pretty good night out at the Windjammer and was willing to go 5-8 miles. It was a little shorter than I wanted but it would be good to catch up.

We ran from the rental property right on the beach to the Wild Dunes side of the Isles of Palms. It wasn't a particularly fantastic course, but it was fun to be so close to the beach. Mike aka Ghost had to excuse aspects of our running costumes. I wore a pair of the Brooks Adrenaline 11 and he sported a blue on blue New Balance short/shirt combo. I was being lame for wearing one of the most popular shoes in the business and he looked like a smurf.

I Should Rep Honey Stinger

Time: 65:22

Distance: ~9.5 miles

I got out the door late in the morning and ran out and back along Ocean Blvd. in Myrtle Beach. I was feeling pretty good and the pace picked up the last half of the run. Somewhere around the 7 mile mark, just as I was running near a grassy field, I felt a sharp pain up under the left side of my glasses. I heard a buzz and felt a ricochet which caused me to immediately fling off the sunglasses. I stopped and looked around but couldn't see the culprit, but knew that I had been stung by a bee. I've been stung while running before, but never in the face. By the time I got back to the resort my face didn't hurt anymore and I couldn't see a stinger. Good thing I'm not allergic as it now gave an uneventful run something for me to write about.

Inside Double

Time: 33:30

Distance: ~5 miles

Given the length and speed of the run this morning, I wanted to get in a double run. It was windy and I was feeling like a wuss so I hit the treadmill. I haven't been on the treadmill in months and I really didn't have a good excuse to jump on it today. I usually don't enter all the prerequisite data that fancy devices ask for, but I did today. Sometimes you just gotta be adventurous.

I ran easy for about 3 miles at just over a 7 minute average and then I increased the tempo to 5:40 pace for a mile. It sucked. Running fast on a treadmill feels at least 30 seconds faster. My cadence wasn't terribly high (84) but it felt like I was sprinting. I cooled down for a mile at a 6:18 pace and called it a day. I couldn't handle it any longer which makes me wonder if this guy is sane.

The Next Generation

Time: 30:00

Distance: ~3 miles

My little brother who is 8 years old wanted me to take him out running. He's just started running track, but missed his first meet when the family came to Myrtle Beach. I should have held a true dual meet between me and him, but I didn't think of it at the time. When I asked how far he wanted to run he said a 5k which was fine by me. We headed out from the resort and toured the neighborhood nearby. The pace was nice and easy for me and solid for Tyler.

The biggest challenge was getting him to focus on the running part. He tried to shoot me a couple of times with a rubber band and once stopped to stare at a dead squirrel. I almost had to pry him away from the carcass as you would a leashed dog. He wanted to poke it with a stick, but I suggested that wasn't the smartest idea. As I encouraged to keep going he just kept starring saying, "oh man his tail got run over! And I can see his teeth!" One of my former teammates at Brown, Nick Neely, would definitely approve of Tyler's curiosity because he once did an art project where he took ink impressions of roadkill. There's a good blogpost out there on an incident of Nick painting a squirrel with ink in the middle of the road and some highway patrolman giving him a hard time.

We eventually got back to the resort where I tried to show Tyler some drills and did a few strides. It was fun to be out there with the little bro but I didn't tire him out enough as he wanted to hit the pool and play basketball immediately afterward.

Update: Just found Nick's post! Read it!