Westchester Track Club Workout

Time: 74:17
Distance: 16.06k

W/u: 29:02 for 6.02k
W/o: 2 x mile w/ 800m jog, 2 x 800m
C/d: 15:42 for 2.89k

I had a long day on the road from Marblehead to Albany to show the Karhu FW12 collection, then I jumped back in the car destined for Pleasantville, NY. I would be staying with Madeleine and she invited me to run a workout with the Tuesday night Westchester Track Club crew at the Scarsdale HS track.

The Westchester crew has some of the most talented foreign athletes in the country and they are coached by Mike Barnow. I had heard stories about Coach Barnow for months (he looks and acts a bit like Larry David. Don't believe me? Watch this video.), but had never actually met the guy until tonight. He was incredibly welcoming to having me join his group tonight. I didn't have any particular goals for the evening other than to jump in a workout with whoever was in attendance. It turned out that it would be about 3-4 women and 10-15 guys who were all looking to do Barnow's workout.

I got in a light workout with Mad as the group waited for some more individuals to arrive. Once we finally got lined up, I was happy to be toeing the line with a group looking to running some fast splits on a near ideal evening. The track facility of this high school was top notch and it was fairly well lit for not actually having stadium lights. My plan was to run with the group and maybe take some turns leading near the final few laps of the interval.

Mile #1 - Mike wanted us to run relaxed for 3 laps and then pick it up on the last as it was quite cold out tonight (low 40s to upper 30s). The pace was a bit quick through 400m (73) but then relaxed for the next couple of laps (2:33 and 3:48). I went to the front on the last lap and pushed the pace bringing us to an end in 5:02.

We had lots of rest which is common for Mike's workouts, but I wasn't going to complain being given 800m recovery.

Mile #2 - The pace was more relaxed on the opening lap (76) and stayed there for the next couple of circuits (2:34, 3:48). I went to the front again on the last lap and pushed with 250m to run. Some guys fell back while others made big charges for home. I crossed the finish feeling relaxed just a touch under 5:00.

Again, we took 800m rest on the recovery and I got to chat a bit with the other runners. They were wondering who I was and if I was going to be a new teammate. Unfortunately, that is not the case.

800m #1 - Mike's instruction were to run relaxed on the opening lap and pick up the pace on the second. I think we came through 400m in 72-73 when I hit the front and started to up the tempo. I was feeling pretty good down the backstretch with no signs of my sore right hamstring. I wasn't looking to go all out, but I could hear others sprinting for the tape. I think the second lap was completed in 68 or so.

This time we only had 600m recovery, but I was feeling good after a few hundred meters of easy running.

800m #2 - My plan was to run relaxed for 500m and hammer the final 300m, but that went out the window when Thaddeus, a high school runner, took the pace out in 67-68. It was supposed to be a little more relaxed than that. I found myself in the front with a lap to run and just kept the pace honest. I ran strong through the line and had a bit of a battle the final 100m with another runner in the group. I'll take the 2:16-2:17 effort given the conditions, hour, cold, drive, etc.

Splits:

Split	Time	Distance	Avg Pace
Summary	29:33.5	7.31	4:03
1	5:02.4	1.65	3:04
2	5:10.3	0.85	6:05
3	4:59.6	1.67	3:00
4	5:31.3	0.85	6:32
5	2:23.2	0.84	2:51
6	4:09.9	0.63	6:35
7	2:17.0	0.83	2:45

I got in a short cool down before heading back to Pleasantville with Madeleine. I'll definitely have to keep these workouts in mind the next time I'm in Westchester. Hopefully, I can make it on a Saturday when the Kenyans/Ethiopians show up.

Crash Course 5k Training

Time: 65:04
Distance: 14.68k

W/u: 21:56 for 4.47k
W/o: 2 x 200m, 4 x 400m, 1 x 1600m, 4 x 400m
C/d: 15:35 for 3.01k

I came up with a mini-workout designed to get me somewhat accustomed to running 5k pace next Friday in Austin. It's a bit of a crash course in 5k training similar to a crash diet for a bride. It's guaranteed to work!

I ran a long route over to the track and did some light strides as I geared up for this workout. I didn't have specific splits in mind, but I wanted to make everything faster than 3:07/k minute pace. The two 200s at the start were just to get my legs turned over at a pace faster than my comfort zone for 400m.

I started the 400s and was comfortably hitting 72 and 73. My stride felt strong and the lungs weren't taxed. Going into the 1600m effort, I thought if I could have lap splits of 75, 74, 73, 72 it would be a win. I came nowhere close to getting faster each lap and had to pick up the pace after a opening 800m of 2:30-2:31. Fortunately, I was able to recover relatively quickly and have four faster 400m splits during the second set.

Splits (200m jogs):
2 x 200 - 34.90 (72), 34.25 (70);
4 x 400 - 72.48 (68), 73.30 (69), 72.48 (66), 73.53 (70);
1600 - 4:57.97 (86);
4 x 400 - 69.92 (73), 70.42 (72), 69.30 (71), 67.37
27:33 total for 7.20k

Overall, this was a workout bringing me in the right direction. I was never maxed out or even close to red lining it. At this point the goal is just to get the legs used to running at 3:07/k pace or faster and hope the lungs follow.

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.

Meagan's McMullen Workout

Time: 99:33
Distance: 14.57 miles

W/u: 16:28 for 2 miles
W/o: Length of McMullen uptempo, return with 3 x mile with mile rest
C/d: 8:18 for 1 mile

I was sitting at the RFYL Grand Prix Series banquet last night and Tim Rhodes called out Brian McMahon's name for an age group award. It was only then that I realized my tower twin wasn't in attendance and that I wasted a perfectly good applause on the chump. I shot him a text and invited him to meet up at McMullen for a workout in the morning. I've only run at McMullen six or so times, and half of those, I seem to spot B-Mac. It would only be fitting to have him along.

The plan laid out for Meagan was to run hard the length of the greenway followed by some alternating easy/hard miles on the return. It would be a long workout, but I wanted the legs to take a beating versus having the pace taking a toll on the breathing. I hoped she'd be able to handle splits of 6:30 miles considering her recent hour long tempo at McAlpine.

B-Mac, Meagan and I got in an easy 2 mile warm up out and back along the dirt section off Hwy-51. It was nice having another person along though Ms. Nedlo was a bit skeptical at first. That soon all changed when we started and she realized this was going to be a good workout.

Splits according to Mr. Garmin:
6:16, 6:09, 6:07, 6:05, 6:08, 4:49 for .78 miles (6:13 pace). Tempo total of 35:38.
(6:36 for .82 miles), 5:59 for 1 mile, (7:17 for .98 miles), 5:50 for 1 mile, (7:27 for .99 miles) 5:58 for 1 mile
74:47 and 11.57 miles total at 6:27 average.

Splits according to Nike watch and McMullen mile markers:
35:38 on the tempo
(6:35 rest), 5:48, (7:28), 5:48, (7:26), 5:58)

Meagan looked and sounded good throughout the workout. I felt solid playing pacesetter during the uptempo portion. Just look at those splits! Who could have asked for anything more even than that? I'll stop boasting and say the greenway is longer than I remember. I thought it was closer to 5 miles, but turns out it's nearly 6.

Also, should I mention that Meagan ran the legs off of B-Mac after the first hard mile on the return? I hope he continues to join us for workouts this fall and winter. It was a great morning to be out on the greenway as the temperature was nearly ideal. I wish it could resemble this all year long.

Mall Rats in Izumo

Time: 45:49
Distance: ~7 miles

W/u: 21:19 for ~3 miles
W/o: Cruise mile, 800, 2 x 400
C/d: 15:06 for ~2 miles

Last time I left you the team had an interesting meal down in the New WelCity Hotel restaurant. All of us returned to our respective rooms to try and find some sleep. I failed miserably as I woke up at midnight, 2:00 am, 4:00 am and finally decided to get up at 5:30 am. I'm not sure why, but I think this is the worst adjustment to Japan time that I've had to make. I along with Yoshi and John "Johnny Photogs" Deputy were the first three down to breakfast on Saturday morning. The two Americans ate the western style breakfast while Yoshi had a more traditional Japanese spread which included fish, rice, radishes, egg and soup.

The rest of the team joined us downstairs eventually and we got to have a good running conversation. And by running, I mean it was all about running. Johnny Photogs is the official photographer for John Hancock during the Boston Marathon. He also knows the owner of the Boston Red Sox (who just purchased Liverpool) and many other big time sponsors of sporting events. He was here last year taking photos to document the trip and this year he's playing more of a chaperone role since Jack Fultz (former Boston Marathon winner) wasn't able to come due to health complications. Mr. Fultz has been coaching this team for over a decade so I'm sure the race officials will find is peculiar that Ben Stern is filling the void.

After breakfast we returned to our rooms and prepared for our runs. We drove over to the track stadium and ran a few laps around the athletic fields before getting to work with a light workout. It was cool running in a team atmosphere as Frank, Mike, Sam, Zac, Bobby and I all ran a mile together, followed by some 800s or 400s. The goal was to stretch out the legs and feel fast for Monday's race.

Splits:
4:51.20 (90), 2:18.37 (89), 66.56 (92), 65.06 for 13:54 total and 2 miles total.

I felt decent, but not fantastic. That will certainly have to change come Monday if I want to run respectably. It's been decided that I'm running the 4th leg again this year which is 6.2k in distance. Last year I ran 20:00 minutes which is about a minute slower than I wanted and felt absolutely terrible doing it. However, I got deathly ill two days later which is my poor excuse. I presented my case for the second leg which is the shortes (5.8k) but was shot down as Ben really wants the two Princeton Towers to lead off. Right now the line up is going to be Frank (8.0k), Mike (5.8k), Zac (7.9k), me (6.2k), Sam (6.4k), Steve (10.2k).

When we were done training it was time to head back to the hotel for a quick shower and then lunch. We all piled into our bus and drove over to You Me which is a huge mall. It's the first time that I've been in You Me, but I've seen it a couple of times before. We wandered around until we decided to eat at the Food Court. It was very similar to an American food court but all the places served Asian cuisine, minus the McDonald's that some guys chose to eat at. I'll admit that I had a McFlurry. While we were eating a girl from the states came up to us and asked if we were American. Her name was Sarah and she was doing a year abroad, living with a host family and teaching at a high school. She almost never sees English speaking people in Izumo so she took the opportunity to hang out with us. Sarah has only been in Japan two months and doesn't really know the language which means she sometimes goes days without speaking. It sounded a little lonely, but she was fun to chat with for the couple of hours we were at the mall.

The next stop on the day was the Taisha Shrine which is a must see when you come to Izumo. It's one of the oldest, if not the oldest shrines in all of Japan. I've been twice before, but it's always relaxing to visit the sacred grounds. It's also amusing to throw coins into the big ropes hanging in front of some of the buildings. I can't really describe what I mean by this without photos, so you will have to wait until I'm back and on my other computer.

The final important activity of the day was to go on a course preview. The race starts at the gates of the shrine and runs downhill through the city. Each guy took a turn at the front of the bus scoping out the leg he will run come Monday. By this time I was getting sleepy and took a brief nap on the bus. I also fell asleep when we got back to the hotel and missed the first 30 minutes of dinner. Whoops. When I did get down to the restaurant most of the team was eating steak strips that we each got to cook ourselves on a small filled with sauce. I ate quickly so I didn't hold up the team. Yoshi handed out our bib numbers, fumbled through some of the requirements for race day and released us for the rest of the night.

Before sleep most of the team went down to the "onsen" which is more or less a spa. You first have to ceremonially wash off before entering either the mineral water or bubble water. Basically it was a bunch of skinny athletic Americans chilling naked with older Japanese dudes. We were pretty proud of ourselves if you know what I mean. By the time we left I was exhausted and ready for sleep. I made it another few hours watching MTV and more recent Snoop Dogg videos before finally passing out.

Tomorrow is going to be relatively low key with the race's opening ceremony being the highlight.

Confidence Booster

Time: ~52:05
Distance: 7.25 miles

W/u: 18:15 for ~2 miles
W/o: 2 x 200 strides, 3 x 1 mile w/ 2 min recovery
C/d: 18:50 for ~2 miles

The goal this evening was to get some confidence back and get used to hurting again. I haven't run a real workout in about a month or whenever it was that I went to DC for the Nation's Triathlon. I've tried to make my races the hard efforts with a couple days of strides and maybe some uptempo work, but nothing that I would classify as a true hard workout.

Meagan and I drove over to the AG where we met Dean Otto for some light miles to warm up the body. We hit a new trail that surrounds part of Myers Park High School. I did a few strides and light stretches before shedding the jacket and getting to work. The wind was about 10 mph, but not too much of a concern.

Splits:
33.15 (59), 33.12 (1:55),
4:38.75 (2:00), 4:42.20 (2:00), 4:45.40 for 22:07 total and 3.25 miles

I needed this one and am happy with the results. My original plan was to run 72s on the first, 71s on the second and 70s on the third mile, but that went out the window when I rolled off the line. I was a bit quick through the first 400m with a 68-69 second lap. I basically maintained that pace and felt relaxed doing so. I didn't even care when on the third lap a youth football team crowded the homestretch and I had to weave in and out (I have experience now that I ran Race for the Ta-Tas). I couldn't believe how easy sub-4:40 felt. I jogged a bit before the second repeat and caught my breath pretty quick. The second mile was a little tougher, but not that bad either. On the third I wanted to go out more relaxed and then close hard. I hoped for an opening lap of 75, but I went 73, 73, 70, 64.

I'm ready to race confidently and well now in Japan after this workout. It helped that the weather is now ideal for running fast. What a difference 65 degrees with little humidity makes.

Test the Body at JCSU

Time: 69:04
Distance: 10.11 miles

W/u: 24:37 for 3.25 miles
W/o: 3 x mile (2:25 first 800, 2:15 second 800) w/ 4 mins rest. 4 x 400 in 62-65 w/ 1 min rest.
C/d: 20:02 for 2.11 miles

Today I was going to be traveling with Carol Amrani who works for Balega. My scheduling meant I had to either fit in a workout prior to visiting stores or after the day was done. I voted for driving over to Caitlin's where I was to check up on her cat Cicero, warm up over to JCSU, run my workout, cool down back to Caitlin's, shower and be on the road to meet up at Fleet Feet Huntersville by 11:00 am. It's all about time management.

I had a nice easy warm up through Uptown and got to point at all the bankers rushing off to work. They were dressed in their business attire, strolled along with their shined shoes and chatted on business Blackberries. In contrast, I was in my split cut shorts, carried my water bottle and racing flats while trying not to sweat on them at stop lights. I don't take my schedule for granted one bit, it's one of the perks of my job.

I was good and warm by the time I hit the track. The objective of the workout was to change gears after 800m of the mile repeats (really 1600m repeats). I wanted to feel relaxed as possible through 800m and then quicken the stride for a couple of minutes to hit a goal split of 4:40. Things went well.

Splits:
Mile #1 - 4:41.72 (2:25, 2:16),
(4:00 rest); jogged 400m and waited

Mile #2 - 4:40.85 (2:26, 2:14),
(3:59 rest); jogged 400m and waited

Mile 3 - 4:42.65 (2:27, 2:15),
(4:00 rest); jogged 400m and waited

400s - 65.38 (60), 66.40 (61), 65.50 (61), 63.91 for 4 miles total and ~18:25 running time.

The workout was exhausting. I had to remain focused the whole time and couldn't let my mind or body wander from the task at hand. It was relatively enjoyable being able to change gears mid-interval. After the first two repeats I was struggling but knew I could make it the first 800m on the final mile effort. It was just a matter of keeping it together for the final two laps. I hung on to finish a little slow, but still respectable. Considering the temps and humidity have returned I think the miles went well. The 400s were another story.

I struggled to turn the legs over at the prescribed paces. I wanted to run 64-65 but I was about a second off for the first three. On top of that some lady just wouldn't get out of lane one despite the fact that I had passed her repeatedly. After the final interval I was spent. I gasped for air and think it was the hardest workout I've done in a few months. I'm not sure if it was designed to be so tough, but it was. You can see how tired I was from the pace of my cool down. I essentially walked back through Uptown to Caitlin's house. This time the bankers were probably pointing and laughing at me.

Charlotte Track & Tri Club Meet

Time: 55:41
Distance: 7.41 miles

W/u: 15:17 for 2.13 miles
Race & W/o: mile, 800, 400
C/d: 25:28 for 2.87 miles

I got to the track and Tim Rhodes immediately approached me with a question about what I was going to run. I knew I was going to run the mile, but I had no idea of what time. My goal was to run hard and have a good time. I haven't laced up the spikes for a race on the track since... I can't remember when. I don't think I've run a track race since I started this blog which was the fall of 2007.

Tim's reason for questioning me was because a couple of high schoolers were present to run fast. One of them went 4:14 earlier in the track season. Basically, I would be racing my high school self as I, too, ran about 4:14 as a prep athlete. I've done well on the roads this spring, but here I was about to get humbled by a couple of high school kids. I had to start planning my strategy. Earlier in the day my plan was to run relaxed for 900-1000 meters and then really hammer the last lap and a half. I figured I could do the same thing and just sit off the kids before taking off.

The warm up around the tri-school area went fine. It was a great night to be at the track. Little wind, lower humidity and cooler temps. The number of participants and people in the crowd was way more than I was expecting. The all-comers meets in Santa Rosa would draw about 100 people total and this definitely surpassed that.

I lined up for the race near the outside. We were using the actual mile starting line and not the 400m mark. Gun was up and then we were off. Aaron Linz jumped out to an early lead for about 120m. The high schoolers then took over and I sat just off the second guy's shoulder. I was relaxed coming through 400m in 67. Coming off the turn on the backstretch I moved up into second place. The second youngster was clearly struggling as his breathing was taxed. I stayed in second position for 400m reaching the halfway mark in about 2:15. With 700m to go the leader started looking around and soon he waved me by. He was in the race to pace his buddy/brother and their race plans were falling apart. I started hammering the pace at 600m and never looked back. I closed the final 800m in about 2:05 with a final lap of about 61-62. Hand time at the finished was 4:19.90.

After the race Aaron and I jogged down to the AG track where Jay Holder was completing a ladder workout. He joined him for his 800m and 400m. I split 2:22.70 (3:46 rest), and 58.66.

We then had a nice long, slow cool down with a good sized group. I was pleased at how I responded to the faster pace. I believe you have to be in decent shape to run 4:15 for the mile and I'm fairly close to that. If I were to tweak my training just a little bit, I think 4:15 or faster would be attainable within a couple of weeks. There isn't really a reason to do that, but knowing I could is encouraging.

Pre-Race at UNC Chapel Hill

Time: ~46:50
Distance: ~6.83 miles

W/u: 16:26 for 2.06 miles
W/o: Pre-race of 2 x mile in 4:45, 2 x 400 in 65
C/d: 17:52 for 2.02 miles

Today took us from the shores of Virginia Beach to Greenville, NC. The drive was mostly on back roads and side highways because the GPS device likes taking me on the "scenic route" for whatever reason. I arrived in Greenville a few minutes early for my scheduled meeting with a woman who is opening the first specialty store in town. There is an Omega Sports, but nothing else that is solely focused on running and triathlons. It was a successful day for Craft, Balega, Orthaheel and Fuel Belt.

Next up was a some casual visits to bike stores in Chapel Hill and Carrboro. I also gave a quick hydration clinic to a group of runners at Fleet Feet Carrboro. When all the work stuff was done, Meagan and I headed over to the UNC track where I had to put in a pre-race workout. I'm gearing up to run fast at this weekend's GPx race so the workout was intended to get the legs rolling without too much strain.

I started the workout with a few 200m strides. The first one felt terrible and I actually ran slower than the goal pace for the mile. It was incredibly humid and I was poorly hydrated. Despite giving advice on how to stay properly hydrated moments earlier, I was essentially drained of all fluids except coffee.

Splits:
36.81 (1:41), 33.86 (2:01),
4:46.08 (4:46), 4:41.95 (3:31),
64.53 (2:31), 63.84 for 27:18 total time and 3.50 miles

The first mile was rough the final 150m. I felt tight and heavy coming down the homestretch. I want to hit the mile in 4:45 this weekend and I just struggled to run that fresh tonight. The second mile felt much better as I focused on maintaining pace and form throughout. The 400s were easy enough.

After a quick cool down, Meagan and I were off to eat our snacks from Weaver Street Market.

Meagan's Mile Repeats

Time: 74:51
Distance: 10.32 miles

W/u: 16:11 for 2.01 miles
W/o: 6 x mile w/ 3 mins. rest
C/d: 10.04 for 1.24 miles

It was an early morning to be up and out at McAlpine for a workout with Meagan. She was needing to fit in her mile repeats before heading off to work all day. Her coach generally doesn't assign target times to hit and prefers the athletes to figure out the pace based on a hard effort. Meagan told me that she would like to hit about 5:40s which seemed like it would be a good first 10k type workout.

The trail was pretty quiet with only a few morning walkers out. It was colder than I expected too. After my workout last night my legs were feeling good, but I was just a little fatigued in general. It definitely was going to take a few intervals to get the legs and lungs opened up.

Splits:
5:44, (2:59), 5:36, (3:00), 5:33, (3:01),
5:32, (3:00), 5:35, (3:00), 5:29 for 48:36 and 7.08 miles total

Pretty solid workout for Ms. Nedlo. I had pacing duties on the morning and allowed Meagan to sit off me each mile. I tried to listen to her breathing and adjust the pace based on feel. We dialed in on 5:30s with relative ease and it didn't seem like she was pressing too much until the last interval. When we had completed three of the miles, I asked for Meagan's watch as I could see the workout was going really well. I wanted to start quickening the pace without her knowing 400, 800, 1200 splits. She stayed right on the pace throughout and finished up strong. Her first 10k of the season will be out at Stanford in about 10 days. I think she can run close to 35:00 which would be over a minute PR.

Achilles Track Tester

Time: 87:09
Distance: 12.16 miles

W/u: 21:09 for 2.85 miles
W/o: 6 x mile with Jay w/ 1 min. rest
C/d: 28:05 for 3.31 miles

I got a big confidence booster tonight on the AG track. The goal of the workout was to run relaxed, focus on form and, most importantly, make sure the achilles didn't act up. I met Billy Shue, Jay Holder, Aaron Linz, Jason and John at the track for some mile repeats. Jason (the guy from this morning's workout) was attempting his first speed session in 5 years. First session in five years and it came as a double, that's commitment.

We warmed up around the neighborhoods and returned coming by the Myers Park HS track. I slipped into my properly fitting Karhu Racers and got to work.

Working out in lane two, Jay led intervals one and two. I took over for three and four. Aaron, from lane one (it's about 15 meters short) controlled the pace on mile five. I then took off on the final repeat.

Splits: 5:32, (67), 5:38, (70), 5:33, (70), 5:20, (72), 5;15, (65), 4:53 for 37:55 total and 6+ miles.

That felt good. Very comfortable. No discomfort. Shoes felt great. Excellent weather. Good company. Fun night to be on the track.

I stayed tucked behind Jay for the early part of the workout and broke out later on. I realize that if I race in 8 days I will need to run sub-5:30s for 26.2 miles without rest. The most encouraging part of the workout came when I closed in 4:53. I didn't look at splits and just kept squeezing the pace down. It was hard to judge the effort in the dark, but when I finished it felt like a 5:05 effort. I was surprised to see a sub-5:00 split tossed in there.

The cool down was the ugliest part of this workout. I felt horrible. Hungry. Lightheaded. My vision blurred about 15 minutes into it and I thought about stopping, but we were still a ways from the cars. I slowed down a bit and focused a bit harder. I was definitely low on fuel reserves. When I got back to the car I ate a CarbBOOM! and hurried home so that I could slam some food and beers.

Jus' Running Track Workout

Time: 69:06
Distance: 10.65 miles

W/u: 15:51 for 1.86 miles
W/o: 41:38 for 7.48 miles (4 sets of 1 mile, 200 jog, 1k, 200 jog)
C/d: 11:37 for 1.31 miles

My travel schedule today took me from Charlotte, NC to Greenville, SC to Asheville, NC back home to Charlotte. I hadn't had the opportunity to run with Jus' Running's Tuesday night track group and thought tonight might provide an opportunity to work out with Norm's Maggots. Norm Blair is the owner of Jus' Running and his store's team wins the Blue Ridge Relay every year. His Maggots can run and I wanted to see if I had the stuff to compete with these guys.

I was introduced to Norm my first trip up to Asheville and while I was there I met Taylor Little who was getting ready to race USATF Club XC Nationals. He ran a solid race finishing just behind my former teammate at Brown, Ari Zamir who now runs for New Balance Boston. It was my hope that Taylor was doing something that would fit into my marathon training cycle. As luck would have it, Taylor was running 4 sets of 1 mile hard, 200 jog, 1k hard, 200 jog. This was close enough to what I was planning to do tonight (5 x 1.5 miles).

I knew that Asheville was going to be a bit colder than Charlotte but I didn't expect mid-20s. I was freezing my ass off, yet the store still had about 20 people show up to the Tuesday night workout. They were going to do 6 sets of 300 hard, 100 easy, 700 hard, 200 easy. While a few members of the group were former 29:00 minute 10kers, I'd say most were your average running enthusiasts. Jus' Running definitely has one of the most committed training groups that I've seen in my two months on the job. Norm has created a great little community in Asheville.

The workout splits:
5:07.43, (67), 3:06.20, (69);
5:04.31, (74), 3:08.60, (74);
5:05.65, (81), 3:06.87, (74);
5:07.25, (82), 3:08.36

That was brutal. I got my ass handed to me by Taylor. Granted we tried switching off every 800 meters, but I usually dropped off the second half which meant he got to draft on me for the first 800 and then hammer away. I was left running into the wind the entire interval. However, I think we enjoyed having another body there for the workout. Tonight I only had one gear. I could run 76 and 77 second quarters on the miles and 74 and 75 seconds during the 1ks. That isn't much range as basically I was holding pace for the faster sections. I guess this is what marathon training does to your legs.

Nevertheless, I was really pleased with the workout. I mentioned earlier how the temps were in the mid-20s and the wind on the back stretch was pretty real (15-20 mph). At one point there was a snow flurry that I noticed in the middle of the workout. When the National Marathon comes in March and I'm able to throw down 5:07, 5:04, 5:05 and 5:07, I'll be really happy and tough to beat.

Twilight JCSU

Time: 84:25
Distance: 12.08 miles

W/u: 8:31 for .91 miles
W/o: 6 x mile with ~70 sec. recovery
C/d: 38:35 for 4.86 miles

Tonight I met up with some members of the Charlotte Running Club at the Johnson C. Smith University track. We were lucky to have the lights left on for us tonight which made seeing and judging pace much easier. I guess the crew has worked out in the dark in weeks and months past. I arrived late so I missed most of the warm up from the track and only got in about a mile before the group was ready to start.

I was supposed to do this workout last Friday and opted out. It was just coincidence that the CRC was running a very similar session tonight consisting of 5 x mile with a minute rest. My very short pre-workout jog and the upper 30s meant I was going to have to use the first two intervals as part of my warm up. I ran the first interval with jacket and full tights on, the second mile I shed the jacket and finally by the third repeat I was comfortable enough to don the half-tights.

This post is late coming and I appreciate the comment from Allen who writes:

Hey, I was the old guy slogging around in the outside lanes Tuesday. Didn't get a chance to introduce myself as a) You're too fast to catch and b) I was too busy wheezing to speak more than the 'how's it going?'

Just wanted to say: 1) GD dude, those looked like some fast repeats. Hope you post splits soon. 2) Are you sure you don't want to run Shamrock instead of the National? Our 1 sub-2:40 guy, Chris Lamperski (see Theoden's previous blog for a very lively comment debate on him) decided not to run it either. So we are now studless. For some reason, I'm thinking my 3:20 (if I'm very lucky!) is still not good enough to help us secure a team victory and 3) Just what did Aaron say Tuesday that 1 time he passed you?

Allen, I did see you out there and recognized you. Here are the splits:

5:24.19, (63), 5:26.98, (76), 5:01.48, (90), 4:58.29, (76), 4:52.75, (79), 5:09.53 for 37:19 total and 6.31 miles.

I felt in control and pretty relaxed during this effort. Despite the cold temps the legs felt like they had a bit of pop to them. I felt good toeing off and kept my form throughout. On my third repeat I let Jay Holder and Paul Mainwaring get about 15 seconds ahead and I used them as a target to run down. I focused on inching into their lead each stride and not going out too hard. Aaron took off on what I thought was the final interval which is why the split is significantly faster. We covered the final 800 in about 2:24. Jay and Paul decided to toss in a sixth repeat which I jumped on and tried to use the interval to recover while still working. I didn't feel great, but managed to keep things together.

On the cool down I ran back to Queens University. It was longer than I wanted or expected but I was feeling good by the end of it. I'm pleased with tonight's effort and enjoyed having company out on the track.

Oh, and I'd repeat what Aaron said, but it's not family friendly. I will say that it was essentially a gentleman's challenge of manliness.

Closing Out 2009

Time: 74:07
Distance: 11.30 miles

W/u: 20:52 for 2.80 miles
W/0: 1k, 1 mile, 1k, 1 mile, 1k, 1 mile, 1k
C/d: 23:42 for 2.84 miles

Meagan was itching to do a workout so I came up with something that would benefit the two of us. I figured that if she was going to do mile repeats, I could turn her intervals into my recovery. I just needed a distance to run hard in between her efforts. I haven't run repeat Ks in a while and today seemed like the perfect opportunity.

We warmed up to the San Diego High School track where we were once kicked off by Meb's high school coach. He's clearly done wonders for the program as currently the school has no track. When we were here a little over a year ago, the track was crappy but still surfaced. Now it's just crappy without a surface. The infield of the track is amazing as Field Turf did an amazing job outfitting the facility. However, some genius decided to get rid of the actual track. There is now just a 400 meter asphalt loop. No lines for distances, no lanes either.

We tried to make the most of the situation figuring it was like running on the roads except without traffic. I was going to be alternating between 1,000 meter repeats and 1 mile recovery intervals. Just before leaving the condo, Jeff sent me the next training block. I was doing some quick marathon pace calculations and learned that 5:30/mi is 2:24:12 pace and/or 3:25/k. Knowing this I hoped to run relaxed 3:25 kilometer repeats and pace Meagan on her 3 x mile workout. Splits:
3:13.26, 5:56,
3:04.13, 5:45,
3:03.48, 5:33,
2:56.57 for 29:33 and 5.66 miles. (5:13 average)

Great relaxed workout. I wasn't expecting to run a 3:13 opener which set the tone for the rest of the workout. The mile recovery efforts went well and Meagan dropped the pace accordingly. I can tell that the legs are very fresh because they had a bit of pop when I transitioned to sub-5 pace. This is an early workout for what is to come in the New Year. Very pleased to end 2009 with today's workout.

McMullen Failure

Time: ~70 mins
Distance: 10.07 miles

W/u: 20:32 for 3.00 miles
W/o: 4 x mile, 2 x 400
C/d: 15:19 for 1.88 miles

Simmons took us out to a new location this afternoon that is a bit south of the city. We hit up the McMullen Greenway for some miles on a partially dirt/paved/bridged route. Most of the guys on the team were doing a pre-race workout consisting of 2 x mile, 2 x 400 but Oscar was doing 6 x mile that I was hoping to join. We got in our warm up and a few strides before commencing the effort on the first mile of the greenway.

Mile Splits:
4:39 (2:57), 4:48 (2:51), 4:59 (3:14), 5:05 (7:28)

400 Splits:
65.00 (5:35), 64.03

After the second mile interval I knew things were going downhill. My sickness is still troubling me and I guess it was a bit of a mistake to attempt this workout. However, I had already started the effort and was determined to get something in worthwhile. Oscar was running absolutely great which wasn't good for me. I was left in his wake on the second interval after about 600 meters. On the third interval Mike joined us and proceeded to take the pace out in 65 through 400m. I immediately backed off and thought about stopping at 800, 1000 and 1200 meters. I relaxed the last half of the mile and managed to split just under 5 mins. On my final interval I decided to run with one of the groups doing the pre-race. I felt much more comfortable going through 800 in 2:34 and finishing with a 2:31. The 400s at the end were just to get the legs turning over.

Oscar managed to average 4:40s or just a dip under and I think he finished with a 4:34.

The other news on the trail was that Fasil Bizuneh, who is coached by Simmons, was out doing his second big workout of the day. In the morning he ran a 2 mile warm up, 5 miles at 4:28 pace, 8 miles in 39:40ish and cooled down a mile. That's 16 miles total for the morning with some big chunks running really fast. Well, in the afternoon he came back out to McMullen to do the workout over. Yes, he was going to duplicate the effort from the morning to the best of his ability. I'm not sure what he ran the 5 miles hard in, but just as we were about to leave Simmons asked if anybody wanted to run 8 miles at 4:55 pace. There were no takers.

Gaining Confidence

Time: 52:26
Distance: 8.18 miles

W/u: 23:09 for 3.10
W/o: 2 x mile in 4:35, 2 x 400 in 60-61 with full recovery
C/d: 16:54 for 2.08 miles

I met up with Tanya and we drove over to Johnson C. Smith University for our pre-race workouts. She was meeting up with Pezz, who is also running CVS, to do 2 x 800, 2 x 400. Since Jailhouse is such the slave driver he had me run double the distance at the start. The goal is to run as relaxed as possible and today's weather was quite humid, so I was hoping not to blow up early.

I started with a couple of 200s in trainers because I wanted to feel especially light when I slipped on the flats. Splits:

33.73 (1:18), 32.83 (7:37),
4:34.25 (6:00), 4:34.93 (4:32),
60.83 (3:42), 59.76

The workout ended up going really well. I felt fairly relaxed clicking off 68s during the miles despite the humidity. I was drenched with sweat once the workout was over and just hope that the weather in Providence isn't so damp. I think that I'll be able to go out in 4:35 to 4:40 this weekend and feel comfortable doing so. The race starts with a big downhill so it will be a balancing act of getting out hard without going to the well before 2.5 miles.

I have a little bit of tendinitis in my left knee that I can only feel when I press on it. John Gregorek would say, "don't press on it then."

McAlpine Mile Repeats

Time: ~64 mins
Distance: 10.05 miles

W/u: 22:08 for 3.00 miles
W/o: 5 x mile with 3 mins rest
C/d: 16:49 for 2.05 miles

I traveled out to McAlpine with the Queens team for a mile repeat session on a section of the greenway. We arrived to an absolutely packed main parking as several high school squads were racing a meet. I'm not sure which teams were in attendance but for a Tuesday at 4:30 pm, things were pretty serious. I knew that McAlpine is the host location for Footlocker South, but this was something else. The warm up went okay and we found our starting location from the 1.5 to .5 mile markers.

My goal for the workout was to run with Futsum in a relaxed manner. I held off on doing this workout by a day because it was going to be more advantageous to run with a group. Jailhouse had prescribed 4 x mile with the first 800 in 2:30 and getting after the second half with 3 mins rest. The Queens' workout was so similar that it made sense to run with them.

Splits: 4:57.28 (3:04), 4:51.43 (3:20), 4:50.42 (3:08), 4:47.73 (3:19), 4:53.85 for an average of 4:52.14.

I would rank this as one of my better workouts but I was definitely pushing today. I hammered the second half of the 4th repeat and my guess is that we went through mid-way in 2:28-2:30 which means the last 800 was in the 2:20 range. I struggled the last interval as Futsum was able to put a couple of seconds on me by the end of the interval. I was recovering relatively quickly and felt that 3 mins rest was lengthy. The last time I ran mile repeats it was on the track with Carrot Top and I split 5:03.84 (2:02), 4:59.58 (2:00), 4:53.50 (1:57), 4:51.63 (2:30). There has definitely been some improvement in the fitness.

Mike Crouch was running an absolutely stellar effort as I think he averaged 4:33 on the dirt. Pretty sick. He would come rolling by our group with about 300-400 meters to go after starting 15 seconds back. The kid is talented and a tremendous worker. It has been fun watching some of his workouts so far.

A Pre-Race Effort

Time: ~54:40
Distance: 8.35 miles

W/u: 23:39 for 3.01 miles
W/o: 2 x mile, 2 x 400 at 10k pace and 60-62
C/d: 19:06 for 2.34 miles

Meagan would call this workout a "pre-race" as it preps you for the race ahead. I got out the door a little late this morning which meant that the temps were approaching the upper 70's. The humidity wasn't helping my cause either so the actual intervals were a bit more difficult than I expected. I hit splits of:

4:58.96 (4:00), 4:55.85 (4:02), 60.02 (4:01), 58.45

Overall, I wasn't expecting a dip under 5:00 mins to feel so tough. I could tell that I wasn't cooling off effectively. That being said, I felt solid on the quarters. My stride was going in the right direction as all my energy was channeled to moving me forward.

Eastern Hills

Time: 83:28
Distance: 12.62 miles

W/u: 19:39 for 2.62 miles
W/o: 4 x 2 miles in 5:05 to 5:10 (pace changed to accommodate the hills)
C/d: 15:47 for 2.01 miles

The workout this morning began bright and early from Craig and Lance's house on Tecumseh road east of town. The Norman Conquest was taking place this morning which is a cool event that I was able to experience a little bit last year. OK Runner was hosting the first water stop along the course and Scotty, Meagan and I were asked to help out.

We warmed up from the house and headed out to the corner of 60th and Tecumseh. I decided that my route was going to start about a third of a mile north on 60th, run west on Tecumseh and then finish up on 48th. There would be two right-hand turns on the way out and the opposite on the way back. I had the luxury of having Scotty D on his bike to block any traffic or scare off any dogs that would come my way.

Splits:
5:14, 5:08 for 10:22 (2:04),
5:10, 5:15 for 10:25 (2:07),
5:17, 5:11 for 10:28 (2:05),
5:14, 5:08 for 10:22 and 8.49 miles in 48:00 total.

I had a great workout out on the hills, felt very controlled for the most part. I was able to pump the arms on the uphill and tried to lean into the downhills (Rick Wemple would have been proud). I think if I had done this workout on a track I could have easily run 76s. I'm pretty sure that when I began the workout the temps were in the upper 60s, perhaps low 70s. It was a great finally having the cooperation of the weather out there. This effort was a good indicator of my fitness level right now and a step in the right direction in terms of aerobic pacing.

Mile Repeats

Time: ~74:38
Distance: 12.41

W/u: 22:58 for 3.01 miles
W/o: 6 x mile in 5:05, 5:00, 4:55, 4:50, 4:45, 4:40? w/ 200m (2 min) recovery
C/d: 20:23 for 2.40 miles

I was in contact with Carrot Top yesterday as he was wondering what I was doing for this week's workouts. There was a big one planned that I figured he could be a part of and so he joined me at the Norman High track this morning. Jailhouse wrote the workout starting at 5:05 and dropping to 4:45, problem is that would only be 5 intervals. I figured I could start at 5:10 or be a badass and finish with 4:40. Carrot Top decided that his workout was going to be the first and last 400m of my mile (1600) repeat.

Splits:
5:03.84 (2:02), 4:59.58 (2:00), 4:53.50 (1:57), 4:51.63 (2:30)
Decided at this point that the wind and heat were too much and I needed to change the workout. I was feeling great for the first 4 repeats and then 800 meters in to number five I felt awful. Finished the session with 2 x 800 and 4 x 400.

Splits:
2:25.80 (1:57), 2:23.38 (1:57), 71.52 (1:28), 69.12 (1:20), 68.32 (1:19), 65.37 for 45:46 total.

I was able to save the workout by running some shorter distance intervals at the end. It seemed that my stride was falling apart about 300 meters into the 400s for some reason. The heat and wind wasn't helping but I was glad to get in the effort. Carrot Top helped out big time on a few of those mile repeats as I was able to just tuck into his slipstream for a lap here and there.