Early Morning Long Run

Time: 125:38
Distance: 19.35 miles
Pace: 6:30
Splits: 7:31, 7:09, 7:02, 7:08, 7:01, 6:37, 6:35, 6:31, 6:28, 6:22, 6:25, 6:21, 6:13, 6:08, 5:35, 5:25, 5:32, 6:30, 6:49, 2:14 (for .35 at 6:21)
Map

This morning's run was a truer simulation of what will be going down on April 26th. The first step was starting the run at 6:30 in the morning and meeting Scotty along Pickard. The second step was bringing along some Gu and Gatorade. The third was to brave the windy elements on a hilly course. The fourth was not crapping my pants.

The body didn't feel too bad this morning at 6:30 when I hit the streets. Thanks to the phone call from Meagan at 5:30 am I had about an hour to wake up and put my costume on. The air was a bit chilly and it was windier than I expected. Scotty and I first made a round on the streets near campus. I started the fluid intake early around mile 3 and then ditched the bottle in a location where it could be picked up near mile 5. Drinking out of a Gatorade bottle is a little sloppy but much better than paper cups.

We turned on Constitution and headed out to run Bobcat to get some hills and lose the traffic. We got the hills but the traffic was unexpectedly still present. Yesterday, Scotty stashed some G-rade around the 7 mile mark and we drank it slowly for about a mile. The pace wasn't too quick and the heat wasn't that much of a factor but seeing how the stomach responds to the taste is important for simulating race conditions. The final bottle was picked up around mile 12 with the wind at our backs. We made the turn onto Lindsey and started dropping the pace from miles 14-17 where we averaged about 5:30 for 3 miles. I struggled with keeping my pants clean but managed to finish up at the track and stretch out a bit. A short jog home capped off this run.

The body finally started feeling sluggish around 2 pm so I took a short nap before returning back to Winan's. Or should I say Michelangelo's. It appears as though the new owner is changing the name. There are new paper sleeves (the ones that protect your hands or say "caution this beverage is extremely hot") that dawn the new title. The sleeves also say "coffee and wine bar." That could mean the chocolates will be no more and that a different indulgence will be provided. The Baptist youth groups are going to have to find another place to conduct their informal prayers.

Running with a Purpose

Time: 79:02
Distance: 13.02
Pace: 6:04
W/u Splits: 6:55, 6:43, 6:42, 5:57 (for. 91 miles at 6:34 pace)
Workout Splits: 5:40, 5:31, 5:41, 5:41, 5:41, 5:57, 6:12, 5:56, 5:46
Map & Data

This morning was Part I of a pretty legit workout I'm doing today. Scotty D did something similar in his lead up to Boston this past spring. It's also a workout that Scotty says Renato Canova prescribes and one that James Carney would do in preparation for the NYC Marathon. Specifically the workout consists of running about 12 miles in the morning with 6-8 miles at race pace. In the afternoon/evening, the goal is to come back and run the same workout again. The purpose is to get body to use some of its energy reserves, practice taking fluids and run at goal pace.

I didn't feel great out there this morning, but it was a decent effort. I got out the door a little late and ran nearly 4 miles as a warmup. I started running hard at 24th Ave. and Lindsey St heading out east of town. The hills were going to add another element to the run and I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to hit 5:30s. The focus was mainly on getting the legs a bit tired and relaxing on the terrain. I unfortunately had to stop a couple times to avoid an "Ian Marcus Experience" which broke up the hard portion of the run. The late night snack after hanging out with Spencer and Scotty probably wasn't the best idea.

The course was two miles east on Lindsey, two miles north on 48th and two miles back into town on Robinson. The wind wasn't really a factor when I started but it had picked up by the time I reached Robinson. Running directly into it was frustrating on the hills when I was trying to go fast but I was still able to accomplish the task at hand. When I saw that the pace had dropped off to 5:56 I decided just to run back to the apartment at an uptempo pace. I was running late and had to head to the store to take inventory of all our products. The goal for the afternoon is to meet up with Scotty and drive up to Lake Hefner for another effort similar to this morning's.

Summit Lakes

Time: 51:28
Distance: 7 miles

I ran from the Lodge and headed east of town to get out on some hills. I didn't venture far enough out along Lindsey to really start putting the hilly miles because I turned on 36th and explored a new sub-division. Kids were waiting to catch the bus into town as I looped around the Summit Lakes neighborhood which is basically your midwest edge of town housing development. There were few trees, wide streets and cookie-cutter architecture. I found Summit Lake which is more like a pond and it has a 3 ft. wide sidewalk around most of it. The training setting wasn't ideal but it was a nice change of pace. I'm not sure if I'll return to this neighborhood but the time went by quickly and the legs felt good.

Long Run

Time: 120:08
Distance: 17-18 miles
Map

Scotty D and I got out the door later than usual and we thought it was going to bite us in the ass. We were pretty certain that the run was going to turn into a death march the last 5 miles. The pace started off relaxed as we ran north on 24th. We appreciated the breeze out of the south as we turned onto Tecumseh and ran out towards Oscar's house. Last night at the Red Hawk's game where the Thompson family went to watch Birdzerk (careful on the click... might want to turn your sound down or off) perform I asked Oscar to put out some water. He told me that there were Gatorades in his fridge that we could help ourselves to. We reached his house around 40 mins and the cold beverage was key. Shortly thereafter I took my first Clif Shot--vanilla varietal--while running. I can understand why people complain about the taste and texture, but it didn't upset my stomach.

When we made the turn onto 72nd, the hill seemed much longer and steeper than I had remembered it being. I'm definitely not as fit as I was when I ran this loop sometime in March with Owen. The time before I ran the loop with Owen I really hammered it. The pace was probably around 6:30 to 6:40 while we were out along 72nd and remained the same once we turned onto Lindsey to head back into town. I split the two miles from 60th to 36th along Lindsey which were 6:19 and 6:20. Shortly thereafter we stopped to get some water at a horse stable before running the last 15 minutes back to the Lodge looping through the frisbee golf park.

Good run today. I'm glad Scotty and I committed to doing it. The hills were a bit rough but overall this is what I think I needed. The legs didn't feel too bad. I had a little stiffness in my right hip and my calves were a little sore when I woke up. I didn't feel great the last 30 minutes, but I definitely didn't crash. I took a Gu (chocolate) at about 85 to 90 minutes, not because I needed it but I was getting sick of carrying it in my back pocket.

Bobcat

Time: 102:04
Distance: ~15 miles (seemed longer)
Map

This morning I met Scotty D along Jenkins and we ran out to Cedar Lane to commence Bobcat. Just as we were making the turn from 12th onto Cedar Lane some rednecks in a maroon pickup decided not to give us much room along the side of the road. Dizzle spat in their direction and soon the pickup was roaring back at us in reverse. We were promptly given a run down of every derogatory and explicit names including something along the lines of (Meagan earmuffs), "you pussy queer faggot bitch motherfuckers..." It went on longer than that but we weren't about to break stride. The remainder of the run was pleasant in comparison. I never felt great on the run as my breathing and heart rate seemed elevated. My legs didn't feel too bad, but I was never able to really relax due to my breathing.

Long Lindsey

Time: 90:52
Distance: ~13 miles

Scott D met me over at my place for a medium long run. We headed out to Lindsey and ran due east until we hit 84th St. It was a relatively cool morning with the sun hiding behind some clouds. The wind was blowing softly out of the south which made for an acceptable annoyance. I was glad to get out there and for Scotty D making me add on the anal 4 minutes once we got back near the Lodge. My legs were feeling pretty good by the end of it. I didn't feel the need to split any of the miles out on the run, but soon I'll become more aware of maintaining a more focused pace.

After the run Scotty drove me to the airport and I headed off to Atlanta to meet Meagan and her friend Brooke.

Long Bobcat

Time: 100:15
Distance: ~17 miles

Got out the door later than normal b/c I was waiting for the weather to improve. The wind died down around 1 pm and the temperature hovered around 45 degrees. I started out knowing I had to push the pace for a portion of the run. Tom wanted me to drop some 5:30s the last few miles. I figured that the grid system would work well out east of town. I threw an add on in the middle of the run by first running through campus and turning left on Pickard. Ran a 6:15 mile a little over 3 miles into the run and I was feeling good. I made my way past the golf course, crossed Hwy 9 and headed out to the back roads. I started taking mile splits from 24th, to 48th, to 60th, the two miles over to Lindsey and then the 3 miles back into town. I hit splits of 5:42.94, 5:35.77, 5:38.43, 5:32.19, 5:31.22, 5:45.81, 5:52.25, 5:45.95. I tried to let the terrain dictate the pace. If there was a hill I maintained form, if it was flat I didn't try to press and if it was downhill I let my legs turnover. I was fairly relaxed until I turned back into the slight breeze on Lindsey which is where the miles are gradually more uphill. Pleased with how this run turned out.

Bobcat

Time: 93:30
Distance: 15 miles

Ran the Bobcat loop that is one of the few named runs in Norman. I got out there pretty late in the afternoon a few hours before the Super Bowl kick off. It was an amazing day. Slight breeze out of the easy, sunny skies and temps in the low 70s. I couldn't complain. Started taking some splits out on Cedar Rd. starting at 24th and heading east. Times were: 6:02, 6:01, 6:03, 5:58, 5:56, 6:08, 6:10, 6:04. The three mile splits were taken along Lindsey on the hillier section heading west with the wind in my face. I wasn't trying to push the pace b/c my legs were a bit tired from the workout last night. The weather, more than anything, got me moving.

Looong Run

Time: 131:09
Distance: 21 miles

Tom wanted me running a bit unusual today in terms of quality and quantity. The goal was to run at distance pace for an hour and then run hard for another 45 minutes to an hour. The idea being that I would learn to run hard but in control after being a little tired.

I set out from the Lodge and ran the loop that goes out by the GT back 24th, cut through the neighborhoods. I ran back up to campus to use a facility before making my way to Lindsey and Pickard. I decided that in order to keep it honest I should get splits. It made the most sense to use my 4 mile tempo loop and run it twice plus an extra mile down Pickard. I started the hard effort at 59:39.92.

Hit splits of: 5:21.42, 9:28.04, 5:17.25, 1:18.92, (21:15 @ 4 miles), 5:12.26, 9:18.86, 5:15.57, 1:15.37, (42:15 @ 8 miles; 4 mile split of 21:00), 4:59.28 = 9 miles in 47:27.

Felt great out there today. My stride felt fluid through the entire run. I was surprised I felt so good late in the run. I was still able to run a 5 min. mile after 100 minutes of running. I got a little tight in my hip flexors and glutes around 7 miles but was able to maintain the pace. This was definitely a better run than the workout I did on this course in Zoom Elite 3's and this time I was in regular trainers.

C/d back to the Lodge after stopping at Big 10 John's house for a drink of water. 24:03.

Tempo Run

Time: 60:10
Distance: 10 miles

W/u 14:14. Woke up to hear it was raining and I knew that tempoing on the GT was not an option. Instead I opted to hit the roads of Lindsey. Tom and I had chatted about doing a controlled 5 mile progression on the GT starting at 5:40 and working down to 5:15 for the last 2 miles. I kept this in mind and hit splits of:
5:39.10, 5:31.90, 5:29.20, 5:10.24, 5:11.49 = 27:01.93

C/d 18:55. Felt good. The roads had more traffic on them than I would have liked. Started at 36th and Lindsey, headed east to 48th, turned left, ran two miles north to Robinson and turned left, ran a mile up to 36th and turned left again. Just made a big loop of it (didn't actually run the whole loop, was 1 mile short). Felt decent the first mile, good the second, ok the third, really good the fourth and hurt the fifth. Overall, it was a good workout and I got in some solid base work out on the roads alone. Hopefully I'll be prepared for a potential solo run in Japan.

East Lindsey

Time: 71:26
Distance: 11 miles

Woke up and got out the door early. Headed out E. Lindsey to get on some hills. Just wanted to gradually warm up and let the legs and terrain dictate the pace. Wasn't looking to push the pace at any point. I think I roughly hit splits of 14:25 (36th St.), 21:00 (48th St.), 27:33 (60th St.), 33:52 (72nd St.). When I was heading down the hill past 72nd, I spotted a dog with its tongue hanging out. When I turned around it started to follow and I just figured it would stop when we came across its driveway. By the time I hit 72nd again he was committed to continuing on. I hit splits of: 6:17, 6:18, 6:20 for the next three miles. The dog was right there the whole time. It almost made it to 24th but it tired and I threw in a surge so I wouldn't have to find it a home, call the pound, or kick it to the curb. Hit my last two miles in 5:59 and 5:36. It was a shame to leave it so far from home, but I'm sure it's fine b/c it was incredibly aware of passing vehicles. Every time a car came up from behind, it would slow down and make sure to get over to the shoulder of the road.