One-Shar, Tushar, Three-Shar

Time: ~68 minutes
Distance: ~15-16k

Meagan, Tushar and I left the house this morning for a run that first took us through the National Zoo. Tushar is still relatively new to DC and doesn't know many runs, but that is no excuse. Meagan and I who only visit once a month know way more places to run than One-Shar. It was a good way to catch up and show him a few more potential routes near his house.

My foot managed fine but didn't feel fantastic. That's just where it is right now. It's all about pain management and continually doing all the small things to help it heal.

Driving to DC

Time: none
Distance: none

Meagan and I drove to DC this morning as she had a run club with Pacers in Arlington. I considered running, but figured the past three days of training have left my foot in a foul place. Time for some recovery.

Quick Update Before the Updates

I'm terribly behind on my blog again. What else is new? So before I start post-dating my training I thought I'd give a quick update on my present state.

Training is going alright: I feel strong on runs, my weight is where it needs to be (sub-140 lbs.) and I'm itching to push my limits. But... I'm being limited by my peroneal tendon which is absolutely killing me from making a big jump in fitness. I can get out the door and run 70+ minutes but each right step is uncomfortable during toe off. I ice, laser, rest, ART, tape, anti-inflammatory, fish oil, flax seed, sleep, massage and repeat, but the tendon still has lingering soreness. The afflicted area is right under the malleus near my achilles which probably means I'm tight on the lateral side of the leg.

I've done some good runs that I will soon try and post about. I haven't crushed a workout lately, but I know I could if I wasn't worried about absolutely destroying my foot. I really want to be in great shape for the Blue Ridge Relay and run three strong legs with minimal discomfort. At this stage it looks like I'll run three strong legs with growing discomfort each effort. Them the breaks.

Monday Morning

Time: 65:00
Distance: 15.49k
Pace: 4:11
Map

I got in my 15k this morning and don't remember much beyond that. The pace was clipping along towards the end of the run which must mean my foot wasn't being too much of a nuisance.

Week in Review

Time: 492.41
Distance: 111.22k

I got in decent mileage this week but wasn't really able to focus on my fitness because I'm constantly worrying about my foot. I'm training to have a good showing at the Blue Ridge Relay so I'm rushing into workouts hoping the foot can handle it. I've tried everything including: ART, ice, compression, anti-inflammatories, acupuncture, massage and some rest. Nothing is eliminating the pain and at this point it's pure discomfort management.

End of the Week

Time: 74:41
Distance: 17.35k
Pace: 4:18
Map

I left the house this evening with the plan of getting in some time before meeting the Charlotte Running Club 6 pm crew at Freedom Park. It was fun catching up with Caitlin, Billy and some others before wrapping up the week training.

My foot wasn't feeling too bad this evening as the taping and compression sleeve seem to help.

Fitter Than I Think?

Time: 106:39
Distance: 25.74k

W/u: 24:39 for 4.52k
W/o: 16k (5k uptempo, 6k relaxed, 5k uptempo)
C/d: 24:57 for 5.22k

In an attempt to stick to my training schedule, I ventured out for a 16k uptempo run. I wasn't feeling creative so I came up with the bright idea of running 3 Loops o' Booty. In order to break up the run, I wanted to run the first 5k uptempo, the next 6k relaxed and the final 5k hard. I waited a little later into the morning before heading out so the final few kilometers were quite warm.

Splits:
3:39, 3:32, 3:37, 3:33, 3:29 (17:50 5k)
3:35, 3:35, 3:36, 3:38, 3:34 (17.58 5k)
3:43, 3:27, 3:33, 3:34, 3:33, 3:25 (17:32 final 5k) - 16k total in 57:03 and 3:34/k

I felt really good the first 8k and had a hard time holding back. I kept clicking off 3:30 kilometers when I wanted to be in the 3:40 range. The workout called for an average of 3:35 to 3:45 which I was able to hit. I struggled the final 2k as my body temperature was becoming undone. I only had slight discomfort with the foot which I'm clearly happy with. I have noticed that my right foot is landing on the outside of my foot more than it usually does. I also taped my lower leg with KT tape and wore a compression sleeve.

Day Off in the Triangle

Time: none
Distance: none

I wasn't in the right mindset to put in the time today. I had a fun night out with George "Monk" Linney and stayed up way to late to recover. My foot probably needs the day off especially after attempting a track workout yesterday.

Cutting Shapes at Duke

Time: ~45:53
Distance: 9.68k

W/u: 22:04 for 4.26k
W/o: 12 x 400m in 62-65 w/ 2 min rest
C/d: 7:23 for 1.37k

I was a little hesitant about doing this working as my peroneal tendon has been giving me problems, but Blue Ridge Relay is right around the corner. I have to be fit!

I drove over to the Al Buehler trail on Duke's campus and started my warm up carrying a pair of racing flats. I was pretty fired up about hitting the track that I last raced on as a sophomore in college. My foot wasn't hurting too much so I had dreams of completing the workout and hitting the proper splits. I even had the added encouragement of the Duke cheerleaders being out practicing for the season opener. Not so much of a great one...

Splits:
65.96 (2:03), 66.10 (2:06), 65.39 (2:03), 67.13 (2:01), 66.77 (2:00), 66.91 blah!

I started off by jogging 400m for the first 4 intervals. That went to shit and I just stood around before numbers 5 and 6. When that started going to shit I called the workout. My foot wasn't feeling great, but that wasn't why I stopped. I just didn't have it out there on the track. I felt pretty good for the first 3 intervals and then my lack of fitness caught up with me. Not an awesome feeling.

I cooled down to the car and thought about running some more, but then figured why bother.

Running at Cyclocross Practice

Time: 49:53
Distance: 11.23k
Pace: 4:26
Map

This evening I met up with George Linney's cyclocross practice. He and some buddies meet at local park and ride a loop. I was hoping to get in a workout but the footing wasn't the best on my bum foot. I ended up finding a bike path and put in most of my distance on it. I even passed a woman wearing a Karhu Flow who must have purchased them at Bull City Running Co.

World Record Wednesday

Time: 42:49

Distance: ~9k

I had an event yesterday in Winston-Salem and certainly had a place to crash, but that fell through. Fortunately, Owen's girlfriend is at Duke Med School and she bailed me out big time with a blowup mattress to sleep on. In the morning, after doing some work, I headed out the door to pick up some distance. My watch was acting a fool and had me running 10 seconds/kilometer. I ran something like 2 minutes and had already covered over 5k. I would have continued on to track my route but the watch was beeping constantly which was annoying as shit. I ended up turning off the GPS and just used the watch as a tradition watch. Who would have thought!?

I ended up finding the kilometers back in a new housing development and nearly got lost but my keen sense of direction didn't let me down. I was back at Katie's house a little after 40 minutes and was able to head off to visit accounts.

Rare Run with MRN

Time: 62:46

Distance: 13.88k

Pace: 4:31

Map

I picked up Meagan from the airport late last night which is the first time I've seen her in about 5 days. We got to run together this morning on a familiar loop. Her stride looked pretty good and my foot felt pretty good. Maybe things are looking up for us after all.

More for the Monday

Time: 57:37

Distance: 13.87k

Pace: 4:09

Map

I got back out this evening for some more kilometers by myself. I was definitely in tune with my heel to see if there were any alarming signs being sent to the ol' noggin. The pace gradually picked up to where I was steadily clipping off sub-4:00/k at the end. I've stopped taking any sort of anti-inflammatory and started a daily regimen of flax seed or fish oil.

Back on the Roads

Time: 45:23

Distance: 10.47k

Pace: 4:20

Map

Man did that feel weird. After four consecutive days off to let my heel heal, I felt totally awkward out on this morning's run. I only ended up going 10k but the legs were feeling really fresh and gangly. I was glad to be back on the roads and only felt a slight bit of inflammation in my heel. I'll be closely monitoring the tendon all week and hopefully getting treatment from Greenapple Sports & Wellness.

Week In Review

Time: 125:36

Distance: 27.06k

I bit the bullet this week and opted to take several consecutive days off. I only ran twice this week as a result of my nagging peroneal tendon. I did come to the conclusion that running 2:19 is possible based on my fitness level after only 6 decent weeks of training. I believe that I'm in better shape now than when I went out and ran 2:29 at Thunder Road a couple of years ago. That being said, I'm also on the verge of having to take lots of time off if my heel doesn't get better. What sucks is that the pain is similar to plantar fasciitis. It's uncomfortable but not excruciating. I can run on it but every step is just hindered and un-fun. I don't fear that I'll tear it or do any permanent damage so I continue to run with it. This week I opted to take a step back and see if 4 consecutive days off would be enough to just flush out the inflammation so that I can get back to work.

Not Again Today

Time: none

Distance: none

Where did the day go? I certainly didn't run today as I continue to let my heel heal. Iced and stretched and massaged to the point that I think I bruised the outside of my calf. Awesome.

Thrice Isn't as Nice

Time: none

Distance: none

Day's off are terrible boring. What am I supposed to do with myself working in the running business and not being able to run?

Day Off Number Two

Time: none

Distance: none

Another day off to let my tendon heal.

Day Off

Time: none

Distance: none

Being smart and starting some consecutive days of no running. That also means no cross training which I hate.

Secret Run

Time: 58:48

Distance: 11.48k

Pace: 5:07

You don't get to know where this run took place until a later date. If you're smart, I'm sure you could figure it out. I wasn't planning on running today, but I was dragged out there. My foot hurt and is becoming a growing annoyance.

Memorable Run

Time: 65:58

Distance: 15.58k

Pace: 4:13

Map

Even though I'm writing this at the end of the month in an attempt to get caught up with my blog, I remember this run clearly. It was a cooler day, the first of the approaching fall season and I felt fit. Not fit like I could go out and break personal records or take a stab at running 2:19, but I realized I could do it. That's going to happen in the near future and this run is why I know it's possible.

I stepped back and remembered my training for this year... it has sucked. Nothing about 2011 has been particularly impressive. I have only race a couple of times due to injury and everything else has been riddled with inconsistency. Comparing it to 2010, it's the complete opposite. My current running started on June 1st after battling an achilles injury all year. June was a pathetic month of real training as I just looked to get healthy again. The real running didn't begin until July which was good but not great. I did get in a great week while in California, but everything else was purely to keep me excited. I ran some light 200 meter workouts just to say I had done something. The real efforts didn't start until August when Jeff came to me with an actual training plan. It's now 8/15/11 which means it's 10 weeks of running with 6 being respectable and only 2 being somewhat legitimate.

So why was the run so memorable? I just found myself running the Booty Loop realizing that I have done absolutely nothing in terms of training this year, yet I feel amazing (despite the foot). Aerobically I feel strong and after the pickups on Sunday I know the legs are going to respond to having to run fast. It felt like was flying through Myers Park with a lot of work to do, but feeling fit from the little work I had done. If 6 weeks of running could bring me this far, what could another 12 weeks bring? It's there, I just need my foot to heal...

Day Off

Time: none

Distance: none

Let's be smart about this and take a day off. The peroneal tendon on my right foot is responding to Dr. Greenapple's treatment, but it's still not gone. I want it to be an afterthought instead of a constant reminder when I toe off each stride. That is not how running is supposed to be.

McAlpine Long Run with Pick Ups

Time: 105:12

Distance: 26.10k

Pace: 4:02

Map

Today is the classic Sunday long run with a twist. Jeff has always liked mid-long run surges and today was a brief reminder of just that. I had 10 x 90 seconds mid run with a 4 min. recovery. I didn't mind, but it makes running and chatting with friends a little difficult.

I met up with Ben Hovis and Justin Gutierrez at Old Bell to start this run just after a large group had set out. We clicked along pretty well for the first 8k before I had to hit the bushes. It took me about 2k to catch up and then I was gearing up to start my first of 90 seconds hard. The pace was supposed to be at 3:07/k which is 5:00 mile pace. Quick but not blistering. Given the long run distance, I would be tiring at 6-7 pick ups.

My pace ranged from 3:03 to 3:15 for each. Aaron Linz ran with me on a couple of them which I appreciated. I was thrilled at how easy they felt and my foot wasn't hurting. I almost started looking forward to running hard as it got me out of the long run slog. I felt strong being up on my toes powering down the trail. I know my training is going in the right direction, but I definitely have to keep an eye on this foot.

Week In Review

Time: 717:33

Distance: 163.37k

This was a brilliant week of training. Unfortunately, I probably over did it. My foot is not in a great spot. It's not swollen, but it's definitely banged up. I'm going to have to reevaluate my goals for this fall given that my peroneal tendon is here and putting up a fight.

That's the limitation. The good news is that I got in a great week of training. I would be massively fit if I could keep up this type of work for 2 solid months. I had fun training this week and never really went to the well, yet I felt my endurance getting better, my form turning more efficient and stride quickening with the faster efforts. This is what I need and want to be doing.

Uptempo on McMullen

Time: 80:02

Distance: 20.11

I had a pretty good time at Rebecca Thomason's 40th birthday party which meant I wasn't going to make the 6:30 AM start time at McMullen. I did arrive before everyone finished and I had time to set up a cooler of Nuun that said "Free Nuun for all, but only if you had a great run."

My workout today was a 16k uptempo run with a 2k warm up and cool down. On paper this workout isn't much more than clicking off 3:45 kilometers (6:00 miles), but it rained again last night and the trail was slippery.

W/u: 10:25 for 2.00k

W/o: 16k uptempo

C/d: 9:43 for 2.02k

I was a little concerned about doing this workout on my sore foot, but the week of training has been going well. It is hard for me to back off at the end of the week knowing that I'm logging great miles and the discomfort doesn't seem to be getting worse. It took me a couple of kilometers to get going, but once I was warm up I found it pretty easy to click off the right pace.

Splits:

3:53, 3:50, 3:43, 3:58, 3:25,

3:44, 3:40, 3:47, 3:47, 3:40,

3:41, 3:40, 3:43, 3:39, 3:43,

3:36, :21 for 59:54 total and 16.09k w/ 3:43 average.

The wooden sections were definitely the worse. Multiple times I slipped on the toe off which wasn't the greatest feeling on a sore peroneal tendon. I tried to slow to ensure good foot plant but not compromise the overall effort. Overall the workout went pretty well as I have done this type of work a couple of weeks now. It has helped me find that balance of hard running without really pressing. The splits just come smoothly without ever really having to fight for an increase in pace.

Gettin' It on the Greenway

Time: 58:34

Distance: 14.01k

Pace: 4:10

Map

I visited some accounts in Charlotte today that brought me near the Piper Glen shopping center. It was later in the evening and I had some final work to do that got done at Starbucks. I was fueled up on caffeine and then hit the Greenway for an out and back 14k. I remember my foot feel not so great but I was still able to click off decent splits. I fell into a nice rhythm and the final few kilometers were run in:

3:59, 4:00, 3:55, 3:54, 4:01, 3:39.

The splits would have been faster had the wooden sections not be slippery with mud caused by the recent rains.

Early Morning to Caitlin's

Time: 40:32

Distance: 8.54k

Pace: 4:44

Map

It was an early morning out the door to meet Caitlin along the bike path. She had a flight out to somewhere and I was playing chauffeur. I didn't feel great for obvious early morning reasons but I also didn't feel terrible considering yesterday's track workout.

Time: 84:18

Distance: 18.55k

W/u: 21:15 for 4.43k

W/o: 6 x 1200m (200m @ mile pace, 600m relaxed, 400m @ 3k-5k pace) w/ 400m jog

C/d: 26:22 for 4.92k

After bagging the hill workout yesterday I was feeling a little guilty about not getting in a solid effort. It just so happened that the manager of Fleet Feet Winston-Salem was running 6x1200 meters this afternoon and asked if I was game. Definitely.

I was able to mimic the hill workout by running split 1200s where you run hard for 200 meters, back off and run relaxed for 600 meters and then attack the final lap. My buddy Rich is gearing up for the Atlantic City Marathon and his training plan called for this workout. He would be running an even pace and would pass me as I recovered during the middle 600 meters.

Splits:

30.01, 2:03.90, 68.18 (2:15),

31.43, 2:15.77, 67.27 (2:27),

31.75, 2:21.23, 66.51 (2:39),

31.74, 2:18.36, 68.07 (2:25),

32.72, 2:29.44, 66.84 (3:12),

31.95, 2:23.55, 63.25

36:41 total for 9,200 meters

I was pretty stoked about this workout, but now looking at the splits objectively I don't know what to think. I would have liked my middle 600 meters to stay closer to the 2:15-2:20 range (6:00 min mile pace). However, I am happy with the opening 200 meter splits and closing 400 meter splits. I felt good today and strong. My stride felt efficient and that had power when I needed it.

My right foot continues to give me some problems but it wasn't too uncomfortable today. I definitely had some extra adrenaline because I was hitting some good splits and running with Rich. It started raining about halfway through the workout and the track became a little slippery which wasn't good for my sore right peroneal tendon. I managed to complete the workout and jog back to the store without limping or wanting to stop and walk.

This is the training that I want to be doing.

Flowin' Owen

Time: 52:42

Distance: 10.63k

Pace: 4:57

Map

I got to run with my old roommate and teammate at Brown this morning. His girlfriend is in Duke's Medical School and is hospitable enough to let me crash when I come to Durham. She informed me last night that Owen was arriving late and we fixed a plan to give him a little surprise upon opening the front door. Anyway, fast forward to this morning, we got to go out and get in some distance together. He had found some trails near Katie's house his last visit and that's where we ran.

It was a little sketchy getting to the trails as the sidewalks in Durham were seemingly designed by Shel Silverstein. Once we got to the trails it was nice to wander around a pond that was an old rock quarry. Owen informed me that the quarry provided much of the rocks that helped to pave Interstate 40. Learn something new everyday.

Green Hope High School

Time: 69:50

Distance: 15.34k

Pace: 4:33

Map

I was invited by Fleet Feet Raleigh to speak at Green Hope High School's summer practice this morning in Cary/Apex. I had to be at Bond Park bright and early with two full coolers of chilled Nuun. It was fun seeing the enthusiasm for the sport in 100+ runners that day. Apparently the school is one of the best in the state and usually has over 200 kids come out for the team. I got to tell a few boring stories of glory days and run with the guys.

I had a hill workout on my schedule but the park didn't really have any hill that would work well for what I was trying to accomplish. Also, my foot is giving me some pain and pushing off on an uphill would probably put me over the edge.

My only beef with being at the practice is that I was out there for over 2 hours and only logged 70 minutes of running. I added on more than once to get to that number too. There is just a lot of standing around at practice and little running being done. It was probably the same when I was in high school but that was so long ago.

Fleet Feet Carrboro Hydro

Time: 36:10

Distance: 8.01k

Pace: 4:30

Map

This evening I was in Carrboro to give a hydration clinic to a group of runners looking to make the jump into the world of half marathons and marathons. I needed to be in attendance after the run so everyone could hydrate with NUUN so I decided to get in some kilometers with the training group. I ended up following a guy who had a slight hamstring problem and was taking a shorter route than the main group so I was left to find my way back. I have a fairly good sense of direction so I was able to still make it back to the starting point in time to talk with the runners.

Finding New Kilometers

Time: 89:35

Distance: 20.16k

Pace: 4:26

Map

I coordinated with James Haycraft (real athlete) to run some this morning as he was looking to do 50 minutes, Meagan was needing about an hour and I wanted 20k. We met up at Chateau Woodcraft and proceed out for some fun. Meagan wanted to check out the alleged trail that is being built off Park Road near Fairview so we did that. Then we ran James' boring path up Selwyn, but I mandated that we had to run a loop and not out and back.

Our detours brought James and I back to his place right at the 50 minute mark (70 for me) and then I proceeded to find some extra kilometers around the neighborhood. I saw the Queens' soccer team running some hills and then found the trails near the Queens University athletic fields. All the little pieces of the run added up for a good adventure and I definitely need to get back in the trails more soon.

Simple Double

Time: 37:15

Distance: 8.17k

Pace: 4:33

Map

A simple double run to end out the day.

Medium Monday Loop

Time: 63:23

Distance: 13.75k

Pace: 4:36

Map

Meagan and I ran a Medium Loop this morning to start off the week. It was a fun to be out running with her again since she has returned from DC and hopefully fixed her ailing shin.

Week In Review

Time: 699:50

Distance: 156.41k

The month of August is when I need to figure out how successful of a fall I'm going to have. It's not make it or break it this month, but this will set me up nicely to start racing again in September and taking names in October. I had a big workout on Thursday that told me I have a lot of work to do, but that I'm not too much of a slug.

My biggest need is to keep an eye on my right peroneal tendon so that it doesn't get any worse. I have been icing, stretching, massaging my leg and going to Dr. Greenapple's office for treatment. I don't want it to get to the point where it's hurting at the lower insertion point. Right now it's just a nagging discomfort right under the malleus. Oh the joys of running. It's always something.

Davidson College Long Run

Time: 128:26

Distance: 30.01k

Pace: 4:16

Map

Somehow I've been motivated to make early morning runs with people this week and today was no different. I was up and out the door before 6:30 am to meet up with a group running from Davidson College. I mixed a cooler of Nuun and lugged it down to my car so that everyone in attendance would have something to enjoy.

I started out at the back of the pack and reeled the large group of 20 in by about 4k. I was going to be out on the trails and roads awhile today and I needed to make sure that I wasn't cooked by 10k. We made a few loops on the cross country course before returning to the parking lot along the road around an hour. I was feeling good and felt like the pace was startling to settle so I hit the front and quickened the pace a bit. My right foot is still giving me some troubles but the discomfort generally goes away.

After snagging some Nuun at the hour mark, it was back out to the roads for some faster running. I was trying to run down Caitlin and one of the Mayes brothers, but their pace was quicker than the 6:40 that I was told. I ended up running back into the center of town as the couple turned off to finish (they started at 6:30 am) and I ran into Cornelius. I had never before been to the town so it was cool to visit on foot. I was not feeling fantastic by the 20k mark and was just trying to break the run down into smaller segments.

I was back at the college parking lot at 22k where I snagged some more Nuun and headed out for a final 8k of running. I was feeling good, but not great. The heat and humidity was getting to me, but there were no signs of dizziness of major dehydration. With about 6k to run I stopped to pee and was pretty sure I saw blood in my urine. Not good. Really not good.

I continued on and ran another 3k before I had to pee again. More blood. Not good, but I was still unconcerned as I had taken an ibuprofen and been out on the roads for close to 2 hours thus far. There weren't any signs of heat exhaustion so I chugged along finishing with some decent kilometers the last 15 minutes. This was the first time I had experienced something like this, but know it has happened to other runners.

Overall, it was a good run minus the period of me experiencing my period. I was thankful to jump in the Hovis' lake house pool afterward to cool off and continue to hydrate with some electrolyte tablets.

Uptempo with Compton

Time: 99:20
Distance: 24.12k

W/u: 19:27 for 4.16k

Extra w/u: 3:30 for .73k

W/o: 16k uptempo at 3:40-3:55/k pace

C/d: 16:32 for 3.21k

Yesterday while I was at Caitlin's I asked John if he was interested in running 16k uptempo with me in the morning. He was game and we met up at the Freedom Park tennis courts to begin.

Splits:

3:51, 3:50, 3:46, 3:47, 3:41, 3:40, 3:46, 3:42, 3:39, 3:42, 3:44, 3:44, 3:46, 3:39, 3:43, 3:43 for 59:51 total and 16.02k.

We didn't have a particular course in mind, but I knew that the Blue Points 5k was being held. Our first destination was to cheer on the runners up Morehead and then turn off to South taking the Thunder Road course route. The pace was just right for us to get in a good effort, but slow enough for us to be conversational. We chatted about his recent time up in the mountains for Providence Day's cross country camp among other things like how we should become triathletes and get a shit ton of sponsors. The run was going really well for me until about the 12k mark when I started to fatigue. I was on the rivets (awesome Tour de France lingo) for the final 4k and had to quickly come up with a route that had as few hills as possible. Had we turned up Queens Road West or East Blvd. my day would have been over.

My cool down took me back to Common Market on South Blvd where I had left my car overnight and was driven home by Meagan. I had a few pints last night with Bob and Melissa from Inside-Out Sports which is always a great summer spot. It was a quick trip back home for a shower and then a drive down to TrySports for a Soft Tread Launch Party.

Double in Uptown

Time: 34:26

Distance: 7.19k

Pace: 4:47

Map

Earlier today I had treatment from Dr. Evan Kahn of Greenapple Sports and Wellness. I've been needing and meaning to get in there to have someone look at my peroneal tendon. It has been giving a little discomfort on runs the past few days during toe off and especially running uphill. It was just my luck when an hour before I was planned to visit Dr. Kahn that a huge storm rolled through Charlotte and knocked the power out of my house and their office. This meant I wouldn't have access to all of their fun treatment toys like the laser. This is very much a first world problem when the power goes out and I don't get my tendons lasered. Oh well.

I did work from Caitlin's house for part of the day and we ended up heading out for a run with Aaron. It was good catching up with everyone and getting to run around Uptown. The creeks had flooded and Frazier Park was unrecognizable.

Easy 10k

Time: 45:15

Distance: 10.33k

Pace: 4:22

Map

I got up and started my day with some work instead of a run. I eventually headed out the door around 10 am to log a morning 10k. It was just what I needed after yesterday's track workout that had me running the fastest I have all year.

Back on the Track

Time: 84:01
Distance: 14.10k

W/u: 16:19 for 3.41k

W/o: mile, 1,000m, 800m, 600m, 400m, 200m

C/d: 41:04 for 8.69k

Today was a big test in checking my fitness. When I got my training plan from Jeff, I spotted this workout on the schedule and said, "oh, shit." The times were fast and my training hasn't been great, but I at least would get to see where I am at. In our discussion leading in to designing my current program, I told Jeff that I thought it would be beneficial to run really fast splits or slower tempos. I wanted paces to be sub-3:00/k or above 3:20-3:25/k. I usually race pretty easily between 3:01 to 3:19 in distances 5k to half marathon.

I drove over to the AG where I brought my supplies: flats, cooler of NUUN, towel, water bottle. I set up and then headed off for a short warm up. Factoring in the heat, I didn't want to ruin the workout just to hit a distance goal for the day. My right peroneal tendon has been bugging me a bit, but not so much that I didn't want to do this workout. It was properly warmed up by the time I was ready to run a fast opening mile.

Splits:

Mile at 4:35 - 4:42.94 (3:00),

1,000m at 2:48 - 3:02.29 (3:00),

800m at 2:08 - 2:27.40 (3:00),

600m at 1:35 - 1:47.67 (2:01),

400m at 62 - 66.08 (2:00),

200m at 31 - 28.91

Total of 26:38 for ~5k including jogs

The 4:42 opening mile was the start and end of this workout. And to think it was supposed to be a 4:35. I felt good clicking off 70s and just couldn't grab those extra gears to drop the pace down to 68. I felt heavy the final 200m and knew that the rest of the workout would be brutal. I had no ability to even come close to the prescribed splits as looking back a 2:08 half mile would have taken a ginormous effort even on a good day. That all being said, I was actually pleased with how the workout ended up. The 400m and 200m obviously felt good, but I see where most of the work needs to be done. I don't have the aerobic base or turnover to effortlessly run 64-68 pace. It will come.

I cooled down to the new Run For Your Life location in South Park and ate a taco. Probably not the best thing to do in the middle of a run, but it didn't give my stomach any issues later. Congrats on the new store and if you're in the area I suggest you check it out.

An Evening Run

Time: 32:55
Distance: 8.08k

Pace: 4:04

Map

I traveled to Greenville, SC today which is probably one of two cities in South Carolina that I could live (Charleston is the other one). I visited a bunch of stores and sold them on the greatness that is Balega's new sock called Soft Tread. Check them out at your specialty dealer, and if they don't have them yet, demand them!

After my final visit my options were either to drive home and run, or run and drive home sweaty. I opted for the latter and got to run with an employee who ran at High Point University where my friend Jenna Wrieden now works. He is just getting back into shape and needed to run 2 miles uptempo which I was keen on, but did anyway.

We ran from the store down to a bike path and looped around. I was definitely feeling a little sluggish on the uptempo portion, but I think it was due to the heat. This weather is not so awesome.

A Morning Run

Time: 68:23

Distance: 15.44k

Pace: 4:25

Map

I got in my run this morning according to my new training schedule put together by Jeff Gaudette. His online coaching business is becoming pretty successful and it's cool to see his athletes improve. Now I just need to be one of those athletes.

Hot/Cold Track Strides

Time: 49:56

Distance: ~11.28k

W/u: 25:41 for 5.47k

W/o: 1 mile in 6:16, 4 laps of jogging turns/sprint straights

C/d: 12:21 for 2.61k

My plan this evening was to hit the AG track for some light strides. After my failed attempt to spark some speed in the legs back in Santa Rosa, I needed something to wake the legs. I took a 5k route over to the track and was excited to see some of the Omega Sports Savannah Marathon training group running around. I've become friendly with the district manager of the Charlotte stores and his son is a pretty solid youth runner. He's probably only in junior high school but has already run a number of half marathons. The son was slated to run a mile time trial and his dad suggested that I pace him. No problem.

I got out there with the intention of running a 6:30 mile, but after an opening lap of 93, the little man was sitting right on my heels. We kept the pace honest and after the second lap he told me to pick it up. No problem.

He was ran tough all the way to the finish line and finished just over 6:15 and well under his goal time. I then went into 4 laps of jogging the turns and striding the straights. I was running fairly hard down the stretches and ended up splitting 5:38.

It was a quick jog back to the house for some Nuun and cheap pints.

Early Start

Time: 74:23
Distance: 15.85k

Pace: 4:41

Map

I woke up wicked early this morning in order to see Meagan off to the Speed Loop where she was meeting Caitlin and some others. From the outset of the run I watched Meagan struggle to keep a fluid stride. Her shin has been bugging her some and I could tell it was worse than she had described it. I kept hearing her scrape her right foot every 20 seconds which is not normal. We got to the Speed Loop and I was just jogging around watching some of the workout when I could see Meagan falling off the back on the second workout. Not good.

She called it a day and we jogged back through Freedom Park to the Booty Loop to get in some additional distance. It was not a good way to start the day at the Kinley/Nedlo household especially since it required a 5:30 am departure from the house.

In the South. Again.

Time: 82:45

Distance: 20.01k

Pace: 4:08

Map

After returning around 11 am to Charlotte from the west coast, I had little interest to get out the door and run. Plus, I had to start firing off some emails to some of my stores. It wasn't until later in the evening when I got in my run around Myers Park. I had a goal of getting in 20k which included a few loops around the Earth Fare parking lot to complete the distance. Meagan, Caitlin, Kelly and Megan Fillnow and Mr. Allen "Road to Boston" Strickland were already present discussing the book Unbroken. (What is proper punctuation in a blog for books? Underline. "Quote." Color).

It was a good run that had me feeling good to be back in Charlotte. I was fortunate in that I got a relatively "cool" day as my introduction back in the south. I sweated quite a bit, but wasn't in danger of bonking like in previous runs. The book club was an interesting way to end the run. Honestly, however, I was more interested in being able to purchase a coconut water and a beer.

Happy days.