CRC Unofficial Group Run

Time: 74:45
Distance: 16.01k
Pace: 4:40
Map

Meagan and I met up with Megan Hovis, Dan & Val Matena, Bill Shires, Mike Kahn and a couple others at the Old Bell entrance to McAlpine. We ran as a group at a light clip that allowed everyone to chat. Ben wasn't present as his team would be competing later that morning at the state meet. It was good to catch up with Dan who is taking over the Carolinas with TGA. I'll be assisting him in some ways so the transition into the role goes as smoothly as possible.

Jog and Treatment at McAlpine

Time: ~20 minutes
Distance: ~5k

Dr. Greenapple came through huge time and treated me out at McAlpine in the evening. He has been helping out the Ardrey Kell HS cross-country team and was out there holding a stopwatch for the JV boys. I jogged around on the Footlocker course trying to judge where my foot was at while looking for the doc. I eventually spotted a team in purple on the final mile of the course running some 800m repeats.

When the practice was over I followed the doc to his car where he pulled out a portable acupuncture kit. He treated me over by the kids so they could see a little more about what he does. I was comfortable with being pinned outdoors as I'm ready to be done with this foot pain.

After the treatment I ran a few strides with Dr. Greenapple closely watching my form. I made mention that my right foot is landing on the lateral side and twisting through toe off. He noticed the same thing and tried to come up with a couple explanations for it. I hope next week I'll be able to have a few more sessions as doc didn't think there was too much wrong with my foot.

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.

3, 2, 1... Done

Time: 82:54

Distance: 18.86k

W/u: 26:12 for 5.12k

W/o: 3 miles, 2 miles, 1 mile with 800 recovery

C/d: 13:35 for 2.39k

Like last Saturday, I got to tag along in a workout with Paul, Spada and Meagan. Only Mr. Beigay was missing this week, but that's because he ran The Bear on Thursday evening. The workout was 3 miles, 2 miles, 1 mile starting at about 5:30 pace which was then adjusted according to Paul's coach, Tim Budic. Since I was only tagging along I wasn't concerned with hitting specific splits, I just wanted to provide some company for Paul on these repeats.

The course was pretty simple as we warmed up out to the 3 mile marker at McAlpine. The first repeat would be straight back to Old Bell with 800 jog in between. Fortunately we all came prepared with bottles of water as this was going to be a hot one.

I felt good during the opening 3 mile section as if necessary I could have upped the pace. However, that feeling was short lived as once we stopped to get water and jog I could tell that I was going to be hurting. Knowing that the pace would drop didn't do much to make me feel any better despite the distance getting shorter. I finished the 3 miles feeling hot, but the overheating cues didn't arise until about 12 minutes into the workout. This wasn't the case on the 2 mile interval as 90 seconds in, I felt hot and sticky.

Splits:

3 mile in 16:45 - 3:25, 3:32, 3:30, 3:23, 2:55 (for .83k or 3:31 pace)

(4:29 for .83k)

2 mile in 11:11 - 3:23, 3:26, 3:33, :49 (for .23k or 3:35 pace)
(5:11 for .85k)

1 mile in 5:24 - 3:21, 2.03 (for .61k)

43:07 for 11.35k

Avg - 3:47/k

I tried my best to stay on pace even when Paul dropped back and eventually called the interval at 1.5 miles. I ran to the 2 mile marker knowing the final 2k was just flat out bad. I tried to regroup for a final mile interval and all I could muster was a 5:24. The smoothest part of the workout was when I snatched my Nuun bottle off a ledge with 600 meters to run.

Everyone was feeling the effects of the heat, humidity and dew point today. We were all glad to put in some work and survive.

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.

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+.

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.

Muddy McAlpine

Time: 60:38
Distance: ~8 miles

Early in the afternoon I took a break and met up with some local runners who had MLK Jr. Day off from work. The melted snow has made a mess of the trails at McAlpine and I was none too happy. I'm not sure who said McAlpine was good to run on over the weekend, but it was a little too soft for my liking. I'm still trying to nurse the achilles back to health and while it is really really close to being 100%, I don't need to mess things up by running on a mushy surface.

Meagan, Compton, Ben and I all met up at Old Bell right on time. Somehow Paul Mainwaring and Ben Hovis didn't get the memo and went to Boyce instead. We spotted them further up the course and eventually got to run together and bicker back and forth as to who messed up. I still say they did...

Super Distance Summit: Day 1

Time: 76:41
Distance: ~10 miles

Leo Kormanik who recently placed 10th overall at the USATF Club Cross Country Meet and I went out for a run at McAlpine during the middle of the day. He and his wife, Jennie, are in town for the Super Distance Summit hosted on Queens University of Charlotte's campus. The opening day's talk was given by former Adam's State Coach and legend in the game, Dr. Joe Vigil. He spoke on middle distance training, but more importantly stood for something bigger. He worked the crowd and told stories of his athletes' exploits. It was my first time hearing him speak and I couldn't but be fired up to go for a run.

Leo and I slipped out just before the coach of Fayetteville Manlius took the podium. I had little interest in hearing a high school coach talk about forming team unity and creating a dynasty of a program. The run out at McAlpine was Leo's first other than when he raced at club xc. We had a good chat about all things training, workouts, races, etc. We enjoyed Vigil's talk, but were really looking forward to Ronato Canova to give a chat about his methods. I'll give a bigger recap in my week in review on the entire weekend.

The achilles is feeling good. Not 100%, but damn close.

McAlpine with the Ladies

Time: 68:41
Distance: ~9.5 miles

If I were really interested in remembering where this run took place I would log onto Caitlin's Athleticore, but I'm being lazy. I have the time and know the day. I believe I ran with Meagan, Caitlin and Heidi out at McAlpine, but I'm not 100% certain. If it was this run, the trails were soft and mushy in sections. It also would have been the day that I was being really productive at Dilworth Coffee Shop. I hammered the emails and phone lines for my accounts which made me lose track of time. Eventually I met up with the ladies, but it was almost a solo effort.

Meagan's On Point

Time: 96:31
Distance: ~12.50 miles

W/u: 20:01 for 2.25 miles
Workout: 6 x 5 mins uptempo w/ 2 mins recovery. Short rest then 20 minutes at Meagan's marathon pace
C/d: 13:02 for 1.8 miles

I took a break mid-day to head over to McAlpine to run a workout with Meagan, Caitlin and their new friend Heidi who is visiting from New York. When Meagan asked if she could jump in the workout designed by Caitlin's coach Mark Hadley, I agreed she could but with a section tagged to the end.

Splits (not completely accurate but based off Caitlin's:
1: 5 mins @ 5:40 pace
2: 5 mins @ 5:37 pace
3: 5 mins @5:40 pace
4: 5 mins @ 5:36 pace
5: 5 mins @5:34 pace
6: 5 mins @ 5:32 pace

(3:22 rest)

20 minutes at marathon pace: 6:04, 6:02, 5:54, 2:04

My hope was for Meagan to have some aggressive running during the first part of the workout that was reminiscent to one we did prior to her 10k at Stanford. Back in March, she ran 6 x mile averaging about 5:35 and two weeks later she ran 34:37. Today she ran within an arms length of those splits and added on 20 minutes with a sub-6:00 pace average. She looked strong, fast and relaxed throughout which is where she needs to be with the Houston Marathon less than a month away.

My achilles felt about 80% today. I was a little nervous to test it out by running so fast, but I could sit back and watch the three girls work their butts off and not help out. It was probably a little too much too soon, but I never felt like I was doing damage to the tendon.

McAlpine Long Run

Time: 96:46
Distance: 13.01 miles
Pace: 7:26
Map

I ran this morning with Meagan and John Compton. There were probably some other people along for the ride but I can't honestly remember. I need to catch up on the blogosphere in a serious way so this is gonna be kept to the stats up above.

McAlpine Miles in the Cold

Time: 72:20
Distance: 10.01 miles
Pace: 7:13
Map

Meagan and I met up with Tanya this morning for our run. We started from Boyce and ran 10 miles in McAlpine. The workout on Weds. has left Meagan achilles a little sore and I may have massaged it a bit too aggressively the other night. We turned back a few miles early and called it a day.

I had hoped to run again this morning with Caitlin, but when I got home that motivation was gone. I also hoped to run again this afternoon, but then it got windy and dark. The legs felt fine despite the big mileage yesterday so it's not the body telling me to pack it in. It's just me being a wuss.

McAlpine for Round Two

Time: 88:57
Distance: ~13.6 miles (conservative estimate)

W/u: 31:29 for ~4.2 miles
W/o: 8 miles up tempo with Caitlin & Meagan
C/d: 10:31 for ~1.4 miles

I made it over to the main entrance just as a large group started their run. I quickly locked my valuables and set off chasing the group. I was only about 150 meters behind and was able to catch up when they turned around 1.25 miles. Another group had started from Old Bell and the entire crew totaled about 20 people. I remember seeing Alice, Danielle, Meagan, Caitlin, the Hovii, Compton, A.J., Lat, Thomas, Michelle, and the Fillnow sisters. Don't get your technical fibers in a twist if I forgot your name! The triathletes were even there as Turdbury and Haycrap decided to put on their running shoes and join the real athletes. It was cool being a part of two big Charlotte Running Club runs on the same day.

After about 4 miles of running the group broke off into clusters. I was going to help Caitlin run part of her 50 minute tempo. A big group decided to tag along and we all began together from the start of the Footlocker Course. I wasn't wearing my Garmin so I had to listen closely for when John's beeped. We were going to run about 4 with the girls and then drop the pace for another 4 miles.

Splits:
12:27 (2 miles), 6:00, 6:15, 5:47, 5:31, 5:15, 5:40 for 46:57 total.

I was chilling for the first half of the up tempo workout and then tried to get things rolling the last half. As the pace got rolling I started to feel better and better. I decided with three miles to go that John and I should maintain for a mile, press mile seven and relax the final mile. I actually missed the split for the 7th mile as I was in the process of dropping John (sorry dude), and couldn't hear the split. We backed off and ran the final mile together before calling it a day. I don't think he knew that I was really at mile 24 on the day by that point. I'm glad that I was able to rattle off a 5:15 mile feeling somewhat in control with that many miles on the legs. I was glad to be finished as my hip flexors were starting to scream and the cold air had my glutes starting to tighten.

Meagan Visits the Well

Time: 94:36
Distance: 12.76 miles

W/u: ~20 minutes for 2.5 miles
W/o: 3 x 6 mins with 90 secs hard to start (3 mins rest), 4 x hill (1 min rest), 5 x pond (2 mins rest)
C/d: 15:51 for ~2 miles

Today was the day that I was hoping to send Meagan to the well. She ran incredibly strong and came back with a big bucket of water. I designed this workout specifically with Club XC in mind and wanted it to go well. Caitlin joined us for a good portion of the workout too during her lunch break.

The purpose of the workout was to simulate as much as possible the 6k race to be run at club cross. I wanted the first section to mimic the start of the race where 300 women will be battling for position. We began with 90 seconds run at 5:15 to 5:20 pace and then settled into a pace that took us through the mile in a solid clip. Hopefully the legs would be tired after the first three intervals and the lungs opened up because the hill was next.

Over at the hill we ran 4 x a loop that was roughly 500 meters long. We attacked on the uphill and tried to find the best route down as possible. Meagan will need to catch or distance herself come race day and I wanted her comfortable with both the ascent and descent. The rest was kept short on purpose to not allow the heart rate to fall.

The third section had us focusing on running efficiently and fast with tired legs. We looped the pond (roughly 600 meters) 5 times with 2 minutes rest. The goal was to be able to find that rhythm late in the race and be able to push through the hurting legs during the final 2k.

Splits:
3 x 6 mins with 90 seconds hard -
6:00 for 1.05 miles (5:42 through the mile), (2:58);
6:00 for 1.08 miles (5:33 through the mile), (3:00);
6:00 for 1.09 miles (5:32 through the mile), (3:04);

4 x hill* -
1:52 for .32 miles (5:56 pace), (60);
1:51 for .33 miles (5:39 pace), (61);
1:52 for .32 miles (5:55 pace), (60);
1:54 for .32 miles (5:54 pace), (3:01);
*not sure why the pace isn't more consistent

5 x pond -
2:00 for .37 miles (5:30 pace), (2:01);
2:00 for .36 miles (5:29 pace), (2:00);
1:59 for .36 miles (5:30 pace), (2:01);
1:59 for .36 miles (5:27 pace), (2:00)
1:57 for .36 miles (5:23 pace)

Total of 58:45 and 8.26 miles at 7:07 pace. These are my totals and distance which include a little more jogging than Meagan.

I couldn't have been more pleased with how the workout turned out. I could tell that Meagan was uncomfortable with the first section especially with the 90 seconds hard. She hasn't done anything nearly that fast recently, but that's how the cross country race is going to be. There will be 300 women trying to fit on a 10 foot wide trail and if you're not in the top 50 by 800 meters, than forget about your chances for doing well. The hills went well and I hope she became a little more comfortable with running hard downhill. She closed out the workout running hard but relaxed at the pace she'll need to race at. It was great having Caitlin out there too. She was incredibly strong on the opening intervals and kept the pace honest for Meagan.

Meagan's recap.
Caitlin's recap.

McAlpine Monday with Queens

Time: 107:32
Distance: 16.00 miles
Pace: 6:43
Map

Last night I saw Nelson Mwangi's Facebook post about running at McAlpine. He and some other guys from Queens University were going long and since I wasn't going to be able to double due to travel, I figured it would be best to log some serious morning miles. We met up at Old Bell and ran loops all over the park. The pace was comfortable, but I didn't feel fantastic at any point.

During an early transfer of Mr. Garmin I accidentally hit the split button. See the splits below for how the pace picked up. It was relatively easy until by bathroom break that required me to catch up with a 6:35 mile. That mile also came running over the hill so I was a bit exhausted when I caught back up. The second half of the run is where the good splits should take place and they did.

Splits:
7:30, x:xx, 7:00, 7:04, 6:35, 6:55, 6:52, 7:00, 6:36, 6:29, 6:41, 6:33, 6:30, 6:27, 6:23, 6:00

I felt a little better on the run than I did during yesterday's "long run." I'm hoping to sleep on the flight to the Lone Star State this afternoon and be ready to take the industry by storm come Tuesday. Look out...

Garmin Flub or That Bad?

Time: 113:55
Distance: 16.24 miles
Pace: 7:00??
Map

The Garmin royally messed up the splits somehow on this run. I'm not even sure if the time and distance were accurate. Either way I was planning on going 20 miles, but my motivation quickly waned around 10 miles.

I started the run from Old Bell and soon linked up with Caitlin. We ran together for about 7.5 miles with one stop at the main entrance for me to apply coconut butter to my thighs. Yes, you read that correctly. The hippie Chrisman family not only doesn't eat meat, but they don't use Body Glide. Instead they've found that coconut butter works quite nicely to keep the body from chafing. It also smells terrific and I can vouch that the all natural lube works!

We parted ways after a quick 10 minute add on. I think Caitlin's mom was able to snap a couple photos when we ran by. If she did, she'll have spotted Red and Pancho Villa running in Karhu Forward Rides. This guys is currently sporting a filthy 'stache that will be in its full glory next week in Austin, TX. Wait for some what I hope to be great photos.

Anyway, I'm getting sidetracked from what turned out to be a rough one. I ran back to the car and dropped off my jacket which was unnecessary for the warm fall temps. I was at just under 10 miles and hoped that I would see Nathan Stanford out on the dirt when I ventured back to the park. It didn't happen and my run got tougher and tougher. I usually don't get hungry during runs, but I was craving pancakes, eggs and syrup. I couldn't get them out of my head. I've never really bonked on a run where I've been totally, utterly depleted of glycogen, but this was headed that direction. I still managed to run out to the Footlocker Course, loop around around it and run back to the car, but I ended the morning with just over 16 miles.

Splits:
7:43, 7:16, 7:08, 6:57, 6:48, 6:44, 7:01, 7:03, 6:37, 6:29, 6:35, 6:41, 8:40??, 7:25??, 6:29, 6:23

I was glad to be done and hurried home to whip up some flapjacks. They were good.

McAlpine Before NYC Marathon

Time: 97:57
Distance: ~14 miles

Meagan and I were a little late getting out the door this morning as I had to deal with some internet shenanigans. We arrived to Old Bell a few minutes late and just missed the group of Charlotte Running Club members. Instead of playing catch up, we ran comfortably to the Footlocker Course while keeping an eye out for the crew. We spotted them as we approached the hairpin and thought if we excluded the hill we might be able to catch them. However, when we got out to the pond they were nowhere in sight. We finished up the back section of the course and then made a pit-stop at the conveniently located bathrooms near the start of the course.

The Richmond Marathon trio of Jay, Aaron and Paul came trotting our direction so we continued back to Old Bell. It was a good chat about the soon to be run NYC Marathon during the two miles back to the parking lot. I think everyone was looking forward to tracking Spada, watching Geb and seeing how Shalane would do in her debut. I grabbed a quick drink at the lot before heading back out with Meagan for some more miles.

We ran the same loop, but tossed in the hill for good measure. We got back to the parking lot for the second time having run over a minute faster with the added distance. I had planned on running back to the house, but when I realized that the marathon was about to start in 10 minutes I bagged that idea. We hopped in the car and hurried home so that I could pull up all the forums, twitter, and live feeds to enable proper running nerd enthusiasm. I even downloaded an iPhone app that allowed me to track the top runners in real time. Somehow my former teammate at Brown, Nick Neely, made the app which meant I could see how much distance he had remaining and could calculate pace. It would have cost me $3.99 to track Spada so unfortunately he didn't make the cut.

Here is a short list of how those I know did at NYC:
Mark Olivier - 2:28:55 (Ran at Columbia)
Kim Smith - 2:29:28 (NZ legend and friend)
Nick Neely - 2:30:46 (Former college teammate)
Alissa McKaig - 2:37:29 (Runs at Zap)
Janeatte Faber - 2:39:41 (Married to volunteer coach when at Brown)
Sally Meyerhoff - 2:41:00 (Sister visited Queens last winter)
Jonathon Pillow - 2:42:43 (Used to race Jonathon in OK)
Stephen Spada - 2:48:17 (Representing the CRC)
Alexandra Brown - 3:04:39 (Ran at Brown)
Val Matena - 3:09:45 (Used to live in Clt)

Congrats to all those who ran. Sorry not to mention others. Good effort by Meb and Ritz. Sorry to see Geb go.

Uptempo at McAlpine

Time: 90:19
Distance: 12.51 miles

W/u: 19:03 for 2.22 miles
Target: 60 min. tempo/cutdown with Meagan and Caitlin
W/o: 51:18 for 7.80 miles
C/d: 19:58 for 2.49 miles

It was an early morning in order to meet up with Ms. Chrisman out at McAlpine. The clocks don't get turned back until this weekend which meant despite the 6:45 start time, it wasn't light out until 20 minutes into the actual workout. We did see, however, the hardcore duo of Jay Holder and Paul Mainwaring cooling down from a workout just as we were getting to the parking lot. Those guys have a few screws loose.

Meagan was tagging along in Caitlin's workout that was to run hard for an hour, cutting each mile down in time. Since Meagan is just getting back to proper training I wanted some conservative early miles. We definitely were conservative at the start was we didn't break 7 minutes. We weren't even close. The following miles steadily declined in pace, but I could tell Meagan was not comfortable really at any point. We wrapped up the workout a few minutes early with a good effort, but certainly nothing to write home about.

I felt pretty good throughout and was happy to help out. Caitlin looked good and her breathing seemed relaxed for about 40 minutes.

Splits:
7:18, 6:52, 6:31, 6:23, 6:22:, 6:19, 6:20, 5:08 for .81 miles (6:23 pace)

McAlpine and Finding Pezz

Time: 63:08
Distance: ~8.5 miles

I ran with Meagan from the Boyce parking lot at McAlpine. We ran into Pezz about 10 minutes into the run and continued along together. The three of us were content to run relaxed chatting about training, races and upcoming travel. Meagan and I finished up quickly so we could get ready for our trip to Atlanta. I've been chosen as the designated driver since we are taking my vehicle and she can't drive a stick.