Teddy's Island

Time: 71:27
Distance: 16.31 km
Pace: 4:23/km
Map

Meagan and I were out the door for a run from Jilane's house to Teddy Roosevelt's Island. It's a must see if you're a runner and spending time in DC. Unfortunately, Meagan is sick and was a champ the entire conference but today was not her day. We got to within about a half mile of the island when she said she was going to have to turn back. I know she had a rough one, so rough that she later ordered us both Road IDs.

I on the other hand looped the island feeling fairly good. I held a decent clip off the island and back into DC and up the Mall to Jilane's. There were lots of runners out this morning and it was nice not feeling too rushed after a fun awards banquet last night. Fun way to end my time in DC.

Solo Double and Pickups

Time: 34:39
Distance: 8.13 km
Pace: 4:16/km
Map

I was able to head out the door and get in a quick run on the National Mall. There was no playing around with this run. I was out the door and needed to be back in time for the awards banquet. I would have been in a foul mood had I not gotten in some added time on the feet so I was out in a hurry. It was boiling hot along the exposed dirt but I was feeling pretty good minus the fact that I had to use the bathroom. Note to the runners out there running on the Mall, there aren't many bathrooms around! I struggled to find somewhere to go and the thought of using a tree on the Mall is completely unacceptable. I finally found a porto that was approximately 190 degrees. Forget warm oven setting, this was hot enough to cook a turkey!

I ended up doing a few pickups towards the end of the run to open the stride. I think it ended up being 4-6 of them in the 130 to 200m range. It was nice to inject some speed in the heat and feel fluid. The stride feels pretty nice things days but not overly comfortable at ripping true speed work.

Loop the Capitol Reflection Pool

Time: 32:52
Distance: 7:21 km
Pace: 4:34/km
Map

After working the Fleet Feet Sports expo today the crew of Meagan (Karhu/Craft superstar), Nate Price (rep in GA, TN, KY, AL) and yours truly headed out for some fun on the Mall. We were supposed to have Karhu CEO with us but he was off making deals and didn't arrive down in the lobby in time. He's also terrible at running in the heat and humidity so maybe we got lucky.

The three of us headed up the Mall and did a quick loop around the reflection pool before heading back to the hotel. We had just enough time to finish the run, shower up and make it to the DC Tri Club where the three amigos (me, Nate and Karhu CEO) presented to the group.

Running with DK from Chi

Time: 57:57
Distance: 13.05 km
Pace: 4:26/km
Map

It was an early rise for the crew at the Fleet Feet conference. We didn't even beat the heat getting out the door a little before 6:00 AM. I headed out with Meagan, Dan, and Dan Kittaka from Fleet Feet Chicago. We ran past many of the sites like the White House, Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial and onto the bike path that goes into Rock Creek Park. It was good to catch up with the Dans and get in some distance before working the expo for the day.

Fleet Feet Long Run?

Time: 81:58
Distance: 17.93 km
Pace: 4:34/km
Map

After the run this morning Meagan and I got our stuff together and headed to the airport. We are spending the next few days in our favorite running city of DC. The annual Fleet Feet Sports conference takes place this week and Craft and Karhu has a kick ass booth to show gear for the coming seasons. After setting up our booth and getting all our stuff in order, I set out for a run with my man Dan Matena. He is now working my old territory for TGA and doing a great job.

We headed out the door and covered some time around the National Mall. It was good to catch up with him and here what's going on in my old territory. I got back to the hotel sweaty but feeling good. When I headed up to the room I spotted Meagan getting ready for a run so it was back downstairs for me. We bumped into Mizuno's east coast sales manager whom we know from living in Charlotte. The three of us set out and covered 45 minutes of running in the humid DC summer. When it was all said and done I had covered a much longer run than I was expecting. I only started feeling a little dehydrated the final 10-15 minutes but I survived.

Hot One in Austin

Time: ~88 minutes
Distance: ~20k

I flew down to Austin to meet with TGA bossman and discuss business. We had a good lunch at Taco Deli, some good coffee at Juan Pelota and browsed around Mellow Johnny's. If you don't know Mellow Johnny's then you don't know Austin or the yellow jersey. Later in the evening we suited up in our costumes, him in spandex, me in short running shorts to go out and elevate the heart rate.

When in Austin for only a few days, it is almost obligatory to run along Town Lake. I made two loops from Paul's house around the crowded dirt paths. It's always a good time to be out with the fitness crowd, but at the same time annoying when three trophy wives pushing baby joggers block up the flow of traffic.

I was just getting close to Paul's house where I would call it a day when Mr. Perrone comes charging my way. I was on the brink of bonking, but I couldn't turn down the opportunity to get in some additional distance. I turned around and shuffled on for an additional 20 minutes which pushed my total distance and time to levels I haven't seen in weeks. My foot was feeling good so I wasn't going to complain with being able to run respectable again.

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.

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.

Charlotte Long Run

Time: 78:56

Distance: 17.76k

Pace: 4:26

Map

Since I got home relatively late last night I wasn't up for meeting people to run at McMullen or McAlpine. I went out to run a little later than planned as I was packing up for my trip out to California. The run was uneventful, but I was happy with it. I managed the heat pretty well today and never felt like I was overheating as I did on a couple of runs earlier this week.

Upon returning home I had to rush to get some clothes washed and hurry off to the airport. Or so I thought. As I was walking through security I got an automated voice call that informed me my flight was canceled. I would be booked on a flight leaving at 7 pm for an arrival at SFO at midnight. Thanks Delta. After getting someone on the phone, I was rebooked on a flight at 5:30 pm which meant I could have Meagan come get me from the airport. I spent three relaxed hours at home before returning to the airport and leaving for the west coast.

Just before leaving the house I texted my family in Cincinnati saying I had a 2 hour layover in the evening. They were able to make the drive down and, despite the visit being short, it was great.

Big bro and lil' sis.

Long Day on the Road

Time: 50:03

Distance: 11.01k

Pace: 4:32

Map

Today was busy, busy, busy. I was lucky to have the energy to even run, but I was somewhat inspired by the runners completing 50 miles in the Hilton Head heat.

I was up foolishly early in order to get to Evans, GA for a hydration clinic with Fleet Feet North Augusta. I was on the road a little after 4 am to get to the event by about 7. The drive actually went smoothly and I didn't struggle too much to keep the ol' eyelids open. I gave a clinic to about4o individuals and sampled a ton of Nuun to everyone. I think we actually ran out of product from my bottles which rarely happens.

I was back on the road destined for Hilton Head, SC by about 9 am. The route I took brought me through the Savannah River Site. At the time I didn't know I was driving through a nuclear facility, but did take notice of the "do not stop, except for emergencies" sign. There was a good 30 mile stretch where everything felt a little different. I don't know if it was the vibe put off by the sheer power of what takes place there or the radiation. Either way I survived without growing or losing any limbs.

I arrived in Hilton Head around noon and rolled up to Rockfish Bikes where I immediately filled a Nuun cooler for the athletes. Since I was arriving late, the relay teams had already come by, but I only had to wait about 20 minutes before the first solo competitor arrived. He was at mile 35 and looking awesome. In fact, he was wearing a FuelBelt Revenge Belt so I should have known this guy would win. Just as he was getting ready to leave the check in point/water station, his wife asked him what else he needed. He responded with, "beer." She was a little taken aback but he insisted, "I'm at mile 35, it's 96 degrees, I'm winning. I want a beer." She went and got him one from the car.

I cheered all of the runners through the 35 mile water stop including Tim Waz who is the co-owner of the Palmetto Running Company and the loony who decided to organize a 50 mile race the third week of July in Hilton Head. The Cremator Ultra 50 was what he came up with. During the interim I visited a couple of my other accounts in town to drop off the new Balega catalog and then I headed over to the last check in station and eventually the finish line. I couldn't believe that these guys had been out on a three loop course in the middle of summer running 50 miles. I wanted no part of it, but I did want/need to get in a run.

I laced up the shoes and ventured out for 50 minutes. That was all I could handle. I was tired from the early wake up call and drained from driving all day. I was happy to get in some time on the feet and even happier to call it a day. I was back on the road destined for home by 7 pm for an ETA of 10:30 pm. Loooong day.

Slam Dunked

Time: 48:37

Distance: 10.35k

Pace: 4:41

Map

I headed out the door looking for 15k as that is becoming my standard morning distance, but just as I popped up on the Booty Loop, I started feeling terrible. The heat and humidity have been treacherous and I wasn't going to make this run any more of a struggle. I opted to shorten the run and head home for a jump in the pool.

Real Athletes with James Haycraft

Time: 49:06

Distance: 9.00k

W/u: 25:25 for 5.35k

W/o: 6 x 300m w/ (200m jog)

C/d: 14:07 for 2.75k

Meagan and I were hanging out at Inside-Out Sports much of the day giving James a hard time. He recently placed 3rd in the Stumpy Creek Olympic Distance and somehow managed to win the Stumpy Creek spring the following day. Congrats to him.

I learned that he's been doing many of his run on the treadmill because he's a triathlete and zero tolerance for pain. Meagan and I invited him to join us on a run this evening but he was supposed to do a light workout. I wasn't going to accept any excuse for him to back out so I said I would run with him. He was over at our place right at 6:15 pm and we were off to the AG.

We ran just over 5k as a warm up and then went straight into the pickups on the backstretch.

Splits:

56 (58), 55 (59), 53 (62), 54 (62), 52 (64), 49

My legs were tired but loose from the heat so I was able to rattle off these splits feeling fairly comfortable. I was never really straining and just tried to find a rhythm to click off a quicker pace. James hung tough, but was no match for this real athlete. Meagan watched in amazement while she did drills and strides. She just wishes one day she could be as fast, chiseled and arrogant as us.

Old Faithful

Time: 62:06

Distance: 13.58k

Pace: 4:34

Map

If you need to get in touch with Meagan or me during the week, you're almost certain to find us between Freedom Park and the Booty Loop in the morning. The run was fine from what I can recall of it. I have done the loop so many times that they all sorta run together.

Columns Drive

Time: 68:16

Distance: 15.06k

Pace: 4:32

Map

Meagan is back at it today and joined me on the run at the trails. It was hot again and we were soaked with sweat by the time we reached the dirt. Starting out and ending along Columns Drive was nice as it was a good way to have the pace start/end faster. Pavement used to be my downfall in high school and college, but now it's become my race surface. I've hardened my bones and muscles to accept the impact.

I should note that Columns Dr. is only about 3k in distance each way, but that doesn't deter rookie cyclists from riding back and forth along the flat stretch of road. We must have passed and been passed by the same group of old timers three or four times. If you have ever run with me out at McMullen, then you know I get pissed at the cyclists riding their cheap hybrids along a two mile stretch.

I didn't feel great on the run, but a little better than yesterday. I'm still just looking to put time in and grab small fitness gains.

Chattahoochee River Run

Time: 68:00

Distance: 15.10k

Pace: 4:30

Map

Meagan and I traveled to Atlanta yesterday for separate but similar reasons. She is preparing for meetings with Big Peach Running Co. and I was off to introduce myself to a couple retailers I think would be a good fit for Gore Running Wear. Since Meagan is taking a down week (*gasp) and a day off today (*double gasp), I was off to the river on my own. I initially parked on the North Riverside but found the trail un-runnable for what I was trying to accomplish (not twisting an ankle or getting scraped by overgrown branches).

After running about 5k, I returned to the parking lot and drove up Columns Dr. where the houses are the size of castles. I had never parked on this side of the trail, but had run past the parking lot numerous time. I was back on the familiar crushed gravel where everyone who's anyone comes to run at least twice a week. There were a ton of high schoolers out getting in summer mileage and dozens of parents walking with dogs.

I wasn't feeling great due to the heat when some kid came flying past me which only crushed my spirits. I had no response for a jogger war and just let him run off. Perhaps tomorrow I'll feel refreshed and ready to challenge the youngsters.

Running With Red

Time: 68:55

Distance: 15.35k

Pace: 4:29

Map

I ran with Caitlin this morning at an hour that I would rather being sitting at my desk drinking coffee and doing work. We linked up in Freedom Park and continued on the Booty Loop where it looks like they are still doing construction on parts of the Queens Road West. Hopefully they will be finished in time for 24 Hours of Booty which comes up in a few weeks. I think this was similar to last year when they put in bike lanes on Selwyn right around the weekend of the event.

This leads me to ask, is it just me or does Myers Park/Booty Loop living residents get preferential treatment when it comes to city construction projects? It seems that any time a tree falls, a road develops a crack, a sewer line bursts, etc., the city crews are out there to fix it in a matter of days if not hours. The roads are always perfect and maybe they should be since I'm sure you pay out the ass in taxes to live in that neighborhood. However, there are certainly parts of Charlotte that are constantly overlooked when it comes to maintaining roads (i.e. Independence Blvd, Wilkinson).

I felt decent on this morning's run, but the weather isn't much better than yesterday, if at all. I am taking my 15k and hydrating the rest of the day.

Back on the Track (Sorta)

Time: 68:59

Distance: 15.57k

W/u: 36:57 for 8.27k

W/o: 2 sets of 5 x 200 (200 jog)

C/d: 15:21 for 3.01k

I wasn't motivated to get out the door this morning with the heat and humidity that awaited me. Instead I holed up inside doing work all day. Eventually it came time to get in some kilometers and to hold myself accountable I tweeted that I would be doing some 200m strides on the AG track. I should also mention that today was perhaps the hottest day of the year so I busted out a new Revenge 2 Bottle Belt, filled it with cold water and headed out the door. I have run with many FuelBelt products in the past, but mostly handhelds. It was about time that I actually ran with a FuelBelt to see how they perform other than just jogging around a store to demonstrate the fit. I was quite impressed that the belt didn't alter my stride at all or bounce around.

I took a long 8k warm up sipping on water the entire way to the Alexander Graham Middle School track. I was delighted to see others out there working out: Thomas, Michelle, Carolyn, Paul Martino, Jamaar and Christi. They were all doing lengthy intervals that I wanted no part of in this heat. Last summer I struggled to do any workout when the interval length was over 3 minutes. Since I'm out of shape and it's hot I kept the workout to some longer strides of 200m.

Splits:

(51.64) 34.60, (59.27) 34.16, (59.52) 33.22, (61.40) 33.30, (61.23) 34.55,

(1:56) 34.48, (60.40) 34.27, (62.14) 33.26, (65.08) 33.27, 66.28) 32.50

16:41 total for 4.29k

I had originally planned to run 10 consecutive intervals but the heat was just too much. I took a longer rest in the middle to grab some water and cool off. It was good to turn the legs over for the first time in several weeks. The pace wasn't all that impressive but I was running very relaxed lifting the knees. I know where I'm at and where I want to be in the coming months.

Bonk Monday

Time: 66:29

Distance: 15.46k

Pace: 4:17

Map

Let's start with the individual k splits for todays run:

4:49 - a little quicker out the door than usual

4:24 - body must be warmed up already

4:22 - settling into a rhythm

4:19 - not trying to run any faster

4:26 - must have run up a hill

4:05 - must have run down a hill

4:12 - settling back into a nice pace

4:06 - just maintaining

4:03 - maintaining pace but starting to get hot

4:10 - starting second loop of Booty. Definitely hot

4:04 - trying to just keep it together after stopping for water

4:14 - signs that I'm starting to struggle

4:14 - felt like I was walking approaching the trail near Myers Park HS. Took off my shirt as an excuse to stop.

4:41 - absolutely tapped running up to Selwyn

4:15 - struggling to get back to the house and immediately jump in the pool

It doesn't look like a typical bonk, but I was finished. I had no power left as I attempted to climb the slight hill up to Selwyn. I was shuffling along just hoping not to melt. I later learned the dew point was 74 which is up there especially when I'm not all that fit. I stopped multiple times during the run to get water which provided brief relief, but I knew the run was going to turn out ugly. The positive is that I got in my 15k and will gear up to do it all over again tomorrow. The negative is that tomorrow is supposed to be even hotter.

Davidson College Trails

Time: 76:23

Distance: 16.02k

Pace: 4:44

Map

Barefoot Running: 10:00 for 1.94k

Meagan is getting tired of running her long runs at McAlpine and I don't blame her. There are only so many loops that can be made out there especially when you just worked out at the park the day before. Earlier in the week she organized a crew to meet at the Davidson trails for a long run and post run breakfast. I saw on Facebook that my buddy George "Monk" Linney had been out at the White Water Center so I shot him a text. A few minutes later we had schedule a carpool up to Davidson for our run. Thanks Mark Zuckerberg and AT&T for providing such great social media and technology outlets.

A good sized group was in attendance for the run that included Ms. Barrett, Mike Moran, the Mayes bros, Mr. Strickland and a few others. We all started out together running alternate laps of the outer loop and inner loop. I was feeling pretty good but the pace wasn't all that fast. Eventually, Monk and I pulled ahead and ran an hour before heading to the parking lot to grab water. We decided to get in 30 more minutes on the road, but about 5 minutes later both of us were not feeling too great. He headed back to the parking lot while I toured a side neighborhood. I turned and ran back into town but decided once I hit Main St. that my day was done.

I headed back to the parking lot at 16k and grabbed some water. I knew that Meagan still had several miles to run and to be productive I ran barefoot laps around the groomed grass field with Monk. It was a nice way to end the run strengthening the feet and running some strides. This is how barefoot running is supposed to be done. We put in just under 2k worth of work which will amount to less than 5% of my weekly mileage. None of this Vibram or 100% barefoot nonsense will be tolerated on this blog.